


A Garden of Roses

by ShamelessHack



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: F/F, Sibling Incest, Sister-Sister Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-11-14 11:43:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 115,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11207397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShamelessHack/pseuds/ShamelessHack
Summary: Anna and Elsa struggle to keep Arendelle together after the events of the great Thaw, in the face of treachery, betrayal and a less than favorable prophecy. Luckily they have an ace in the hole, True Love and the services of a rather scraggly magician, but will it be enough? Or will it only make things worse?





	1. Deadheading

**Author's Note:**

> This was never intended to be read by anyone, however certain parties persuaded me that they absolutely had to read it under pain of severe discomfort, quite possibly my own. I have cleaned it up a bit for public consumption and toned down some of the Gary Stu nature of the OC's, moved the focus a bit more towards the Sisters and generally tried to make it a story people might like. Its a work in progress, also a work of shameless bad storytelling, overused tropes and much, much smut (later). Enjoy!
> 
> “Sorry It took so long to write guys, I have only one word to say -”discord”

Two figures stand atop the frozen mound, cloaks whipping in the chilly air as the sounds of the summer forest slowly return to life, stilted by the sudden blizzard some days past. Up here in the wild mountains warmth returns slowly and the snow takes days or weeks to melt even in the height of summer. The taller figure speaks, her back straight and proud, her figure graceful and lithe underneath her thick brown cloak. She gestures across the scene of Arendelle City far in the distance, its lights twinkling with warmth in the darkness.

“And you think you can change this? The events have already been set in motion, their fate is sealed by their own hands. If their feelings do not cause their doom one way then…”

She glances behind her at the dark foreboding drumlin clouds hanging heavy above the north peak. Unseasonably grey and filled with purpose. The shorter figure turns to follow her gaze before speaking. His voice cheerful but filled with fatigue.

“You think she will lose control? Bury them all beneath snow and the weight of their own ignorance? That much I can avoid at least, I do not believe she has a dark soul no matter her heritage.”

“And what of the townspeople? You think your stories can sway them? Not even I could hold so many enchanted at once, and you are not so powerful little magician. Even your ego must see that.”

Her flat tone conveyed a sense of sadness, and a heavy inevitability.

“A bet then!” Exclaimed the shorter figure lowering his hood as the winds passed at last. A tangled shock of woody brown hair falling behind him, his face bearded and lined with travel, but showing signs of youth. “For I shall be using the greatest of all magics for this particular trick.” He said with a wry smile.

“True love?” She said with a sad smile. “True love will cause this whole mess, and you know it! It will doom them, not save them you fool. Even now…” She gazed over the frozen fields of Arendelles high farmlands.

“I will save them, your Highness, If I have to drag them from a burning castle with my own hands, But I am willing to place with you a bet that it will not come to that. My sad silly stories ‘gainst your power to see the future. After all, I have not yet stepped into this tale have I?”

Lowering her hood she turns, dazzling patterns of fractal radiance obscuring her face. Sharp features and impossible beauty lit by her smile. Crooking a hand to her hip she taps the shorter figure on the nose with a single, perfect finger, topped with an emerald green nail.

“This is why I tolerate your insubordination little one. You make me smile, your hope, your daft bantam idiocy is amusing at times. Fine then, a bet it shall be. But I say this, the castle shall burn and the queen shall fall from the highest tower as snow blankets the land. It has been seen little one, and nothing you or your petty magic can do shall stop it.”

“And If I save them both? And the Kingdom? What say you then, your Highness?”

She laughed, the tinkling of stardust edging the sound. “Then, little Magician, I shall grant you a great boon for I do like to be amused, and this would make a great game. Answer me this though. Why are we standing on this desolate hill like a pair of peasants? These wool robes are the most distasteful garments.”

“A Magician cannot enter another's realm without permission. It wouldn’t be polite after all. I need to confer with the magister of this place. Ah, there he is now, right on time.”

A casual nod of the head down the hillock redirected attention upon a tiny round figure struggling its way up the hill, a knobbly brown staff swaying wildly, pebbles clacking together with the motion of the staff.

“You need HIS permission? Oh Magician you are so…QUEER. Why on earth?” Her laughter turned mocking and cruel, razor blades on the wind. “He is a mere rock troll! Surely even you are above him!”

“That attitude, your Highness…. Is why I believe I will win” The Magician squared his shoulders and pushed his way down the hill towards the struggling figure.

\-----------

Two Weeks Later

Anna and Kristoff's feet crunched gently on the shingle, the waters of the fjord glittering serenely in the moonlight, the lightly frigid air brushing against their cheeks. The heavy smell of the last of the juniper flowers hung in the air, and the night birds were out in full force. This sure is romantic Anna thought to herself, nervously playing with one of her ringlets _Wish Elsa was here to see it, she loves this kind of stuff_. Anna glanced behind her, a pair of royal guards trailed them at a discreet distance trying to carry their crossbows as discretely as possible, she gave them a brief smile and a tiny wave, before returning her attention to Kristoff. Elsa had insisted on an armed escort outside of the castle walls after the evens out on the fjord and during the great thaw, Wolves she had said, in a tone which brooked no dispute. Anna didn't have the heart to argue.

“Anna?”

“Huh? What? Sorry ahaha. I was distracted. By the, uh, stars! Yup”

Kristoff sighed, he couldn’t help shake the feeling that this date was starting to go wrong somehow. It has started wonderfully, a candle lit dinner, gifts and a romantic sleigh ride, but somewhere along the way the energetic conversation and smiles had started to falter slightly.

“I was asking if you wanted to walk with me to this great little spot up on the hill. It’s really secluded and the view is great.”

“I…” Anna hestated “I would like that Kristoff”

“Great!” _She hesitated. Why did she hesitate? Is… is she afraid of me?_

The walk up to the beauty spot was pleasant enough, the wild mountain rabbits providing ample opportunities for Anna to “Oooh” and “Aaah” over how cute they were. The two sat on a large rock, almost alone, in the whispering night, sky carpeted with stars. Kristoff turned to face Anna and took her hands in his.

“Anna”

Kristoff met her eyes, Anna looked back, her green eyes the size of saucers and her face flush with excitement and, perhaps, the glass of wine with dinner. _Now or never I suppose_. He leaned in, capturing Anna’s lips with his own. Anna’s eyes widened even further is such a thing was possible. _Ew. Wait, where did that come from?_ Anna ended the kiss as soon as she felt it was polite, pulling away and covering her face with a gloved hand.

“Anna, I… I Love you”

Kristoff slipped around in front of anna into a kneeling position, once again gently capturing her hands in his.

“I… I Mean... Thats so sweet Kristoff, I like you a lot too.”

Kristoff Shifted into a one knee position. _Oh no. OH NO_. Anna’s thoughts went wild, her mind spinning out of control. _He can’t. I can’t. This can’t be happening. I have to say something_. Kristoff reached into the back pocket on his belt. _OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT_

“Anna Arendelle. I know that I am of no noble birth, but I swear to you that my heart is pure and my love is true. I wish nothing more than to bring you happiness. Will you marry me?”

 _No_ The thought came out like a ghost of a whisper in her mind, otherwise a complete blank staring at the beautiful ring before her. Kristoff's face fell to utter despair as anna realised the thought had not remained in her mind. Anna’s voice cracked with tears.

“I should. I should love you. You are warm, sweet and brave. You are my best friend, you saved my life. This was the best date ever” Anna was bawling by this point “I just… No. I.. I don’t love you Kristoff”. The last words came out a whisper.

“Why? Why did you let me believe? Why didn't you tell me?”

Kristoff was stoic but his eyes were rimmed with tears. Anna was red with tears and embarrassment, shaking and crying.

“I couldn’t. I diddn’t want to hurt you. I thought If I went along with it, I would have to fall in love with you. It makes so muh- much… se- sen- sense. I… I do-- don’t”

Kristoff stood and retreated from Anna, tears falling from his face freely now.

“I have to go. Don’t… Don’t come after me. I need time. Goodbye Anna, i thought you were better than this.”

Anna curled into a ball on the rock wailing as Kristoff strode into the dark, the royal guards moving forwards uncertainly to guard Anna more closely.

\-------------

The Meeting had not gone well. It had been Elsa’s first chance to get the entire council together in one room since her coronation, every Count and Baron in Arendelle and of course the Duke of Almdlir the second most powerful person in Arendelle. It was the perfect opportunity to discuss the changes to the realm she wanted to make. She was starting to believe she had been naive to assume they would have any goodwill to her, as her father's daughter. They sat around a large table, laden with the results of a luncheon picking at food and whispering amongst themselves, nearing 20 in number and not a whit of loyalty among them.

“Whilst I appreciate your concern towards the peasants under my parsimony, your highness, this grain crisis will only cause a minimal amount of starvation in my personal lands, and I have made the judgement than nothing specific needs to be done at this time. Certainly a few of the more undesirable elements will perish, as well as some of the more poor or lazy, but that is not a concern of mine”

Elsa’s mouth all but hung open as she struggled to retain her regal composure, legally he was right of course. _He is willing to let his people die, just like that! Women, children, my subjects_. Count Havriggar was one of her southern-most subjects and held some of the richer farmland, from all her father had said he was a good man. This was rapidly proving to be untrue.

“With all due respect, Havriggar, those are my subjects as well, and I would rather not see them starve, something must be done”

The count indolently shrugged and reached for yet another chicken wing.

“Then buy the grain yourself majesty if it concerns you so. I have paid my due this year, and every year past.”

“Perhaps we could move this matter on?” The Baroness of Hoytslott interjected “Perhaps to the third item on the list.”

“Now just a minute,” Elsa tried to begin, the Baroness cut her off immediately

“Your majesty, we have already settled the matter before us, the roads are in suitable enough repair, the bandit issue is minor. If you want to lower taxes on the poor then so be it, but we will not contribute a Mark more to some flight of fancy project, and on that those of us with experience in rule are all in agreement.”

The temperature in the room dropped noticeably, and the whispering around the table stopped abruptly. Faint traces of ice seeped out from under Elsa’s hands. The toad like figure of the baroness leaned forwards as she smiled a wolfish smile.

“Now now child, do be calm, your majesty. We are just speaking the truth about ruling with stability and good judgement. Do you perhaps need a minute?”

“No” Elsa’s tone could have sliced an iceberg and she fought the urge to blast the sagging, smug smile off of the face of the corpulent woman who was patronising her. She needed these people's support and loyalty, and more importantly she needed their money.

“Excellent. Perhaps I could ask the most experienced Duke of Almdlir to bring forth the third item on the list then.”

The Duke of Almdlir was a greying warrior in his late 40’s, conventionally handsome his black hair was faintly dusted with pepper and worn in the traditional style of northern princes, his sideburns well trimmed and oiled. He stood and addressed the room. Elsa had been doing everything in her power to ignore his blatant roving glances and lecherous stare from the moment she had met him this morning and it was safe to say that by this point she despised the man. Her father had never once introduced her to the duke, and she couldn’t ever recall seeing him around the castle when she was growing up. She was starting to see why.

“In the matter of stability and improving Arendelle we of course must talk about the issue of the royal succession, your majesty, After the flagrant attempts to subvert the local and rightful rulers of our great country we must look to preventing such a thing from occurring again.”

The whole table erupted into murmurs of agreement and “hear hears”. Elsa felt her blood run cold and she slumped into her chair at the head of the table. The council were looking around pleased with one another, nodding and smiling at the duke. _They had this planned, I was a fool._

“Now since her majesty has wisely agreed to cut off trade from both Weselton and the Southern Isles, our situation has gotten more complicated. We are are in dire need of a period of stability in these trying times, and our recent experiences have shown us that a foreign alliance is not always a safe bet, something her majesty has been quick to point out.” _Oh. Blast. I did say that last week didn't I. I just… I just want them to stop talking about this._

“It is the opinion of the Baroness, and I must voice my support for her idea, that a more… local… solution might be found, someone who already has the trust and respect of the people”

The penny dropped. Oh. It was common knowledge that the Duke had been looking to re-marry since his wife had died six years ago, of course he had not yet found anyone suitable for his station. Of the council he was the only unmarried member, aside from the Baroness, and this discussion was about an heir. Of course. It was now a lot more than safe to say that Elsa now officially despised the man, in fact despised might be too mild a word. The last thing Elsa remembered was dismissing the council instantly, her fragile composure fracturing as the rage took over, and all she could see was red.

\-------------  
Elsa stared in horror at the wreckage of her royal chambers, jagged shards of black ice fracturing the stately furniture, a crystaline blast pattern all too familiar to her occupying the space where her bed and vanity used to be. A heavy swirl of snow and ice blasted around the edges of the room.Desperate hammering on the door brought Elsa somewhat back to reality.

“Your Majesty! Please! Are you all right? I heard crashing. Queen Elsa! Please, open the door!” Gerda’s terrified voice echoed in Elsa’s ears as she desperately wrestled for control over the ice and snow in the room. Her former confidence of her mastery over ice had been shattered recently after the dreams had begun. Horrid flashbacks to Hans and his gloating face, men with swords and violence. Men she had… killed. Elsa had begun to lose control over her powers at night, waking up screaming, her magic rampant and out of control. Always at the centre of her thoughts was fear. Fear that she would somehow hurt Anna, perhaps even the servants or her subjects. But most of all her thoughts were of Anna, pure and innocent, even after everything that had happened, Anna who still trusted her so completely, Anna who according to the crumpled note in Elsa’s frozen grasp, had just had her heart broken. Again.

“Your Majesty!”

Elsa snapped her attention on the door. “I’m fine Gerda! Really! I just felt like some remodeling” She said slowly, turning the idea over even as she said it. _Remodelling? Really? Where did that idea even come from?_

“I’m just moving some things around, I got a bit carried away. Nothing to worry about!” Elsa opened the door to her chambers just enough to allow the flustered maid to see her face, all smiles and perfect regal composure. “I think I’ll go see Anna quickly, check she is all right. No-one is to go into my rooms until I am done, understand?”

Gerda nodded warmly, certain that whatever strangeness was occurring would get straightened out by the young princess in short order.  
\-------------

Elsa slipped along the corridor like a ghost towards Anna’s room, her hands were shaking and her sapphire eyes threatening rain. Conceal, don’t feel, conceal, don’t feel. Elsa’s mantra rattled through her brain at a million miles an hour. If rhe morning's meetings had shaken her badly, the nightmare in her rooms had nearly put her over the edge. Elsa reached Anna’s room and knocked before slipping the door open.

“A… Anna?”

“Elsa”

Anna’s voice was hoarse, thick with tears.

“Help”

Elsa was at Anna’s side in an instant, sitting on the princess's bed, her younger sister's head in her lap. Elsa made soothing noises and stroked her hair, cuddled and reassured. Anna sobbed helplessly into Elsa’s lap, as she poured out the events of her disastrous date. Elsa’s fingers traced delicate lines across anna’s ears, through her hair, and down her neck in a soft repeating pattern. The fire popped and crackled in the grate as the log burned down.

“I’m a horrible person Elsa. I don’t deserve to be happy.”

“Hush Anna, don’t say such things. You are a wonderful person, the greatest sister I could have ever asked for, and I love you.”

“Kristoff said he loved me too” Sniff “then he said that he thought I was a better person than I was”

Elsa bristled and pulled Anna into a deeper hug, nestling her in her bosom, a mess of copper hair covering her like a blanket.

“People say bad things when they are hurt. That doesn’t make them true. I think you are a perfect, wonderful person who just got swept up in a mistake.”

“Stay with me”

Elsa’s heart broke like a damp twig.

“I… I can’t. Oh Anna I want to, but I need to finish this meeting. There are things to sign.”

The door knocked and Gerda poked her head around the frame. She mouthed something at Elsa _It’s Time_

“Anna, I have to go now. I’ll come back when I can… but… I might take all night. I’m so sorry”

“Fine” Anna sounded as though this was anything but “Leave me…” her voice broke again.

“Anna” Elsa said as she stood “I… I don’t wa-”

“Get out. GO” Anna was wailing into her pillow at this point.

Elsa Left.

\-------------

The Legendary Ice Queen of Arendelle felt more in common with a mere muddy puddle as she navigated her way back to the council chambers. Her emotions were a mess, her composure shot, and she felt utterly cornered. _That bastard has had this planned out. I wonder how many years he has had to arrange this? How long has he been thinking of me?_. She failed to repress a full body shudder. The Duke’s eyes had not been subtle in their earlier explorations.

Elsa rounded a corner and rebounded from a wall of familiar and dread inducing brocade, mixed with stale sweat and brandy. Perhaps the worst part of this experience was that is gave Duke Eyjolf Almdlir an opportunity to steady elsa by placing a hand on her shoulder and hip briefly. The groping squeeze however was not required, not was the less than subtle deep sniff of her scent. _Ugh he’s old enough to be my father. Father…_

“Your highness. I trust you are recovered from your… turn?” His face made no secret of his desires.

“I remain well thank you Duke” _And its Majesty you Ass_

The duke leaned in close, his foul breath repulsing elsa, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

“If you have any desire of easing the burden on your precious peasanty any time soon, highness, I can assure you you WILL need to pay more attention to my earlier proposal. Things would go so much better for all of Arendelle were we to wed. You know it, I know it. And I shall... have my way.”

The dukes inflection left nothing to the imagination. Elsa pulled away and tried to look stern and regal and she strode down the corridor. She was at least two corridors over before she completely broke down, her feet taking charge where her brain could not.

\-------------

Elsa pushed through the snow, the howling blizzard a perfect mirror for her shattered feelings and swirling emotional chaos. The slope of the mountain slowing her progress and the dense forests causing her to become thoroughly lost. She knew she was high, higher than Oakens sauna certainly, a location she and Anna had visited together briefly after the great thaw. Now however she was thoroughly and completely lost, as well as miserable and alone. I cant even freeze to death properly she thought hopelessly All I can do is keep going and ruin everything for everyone. The dim glow of fire caught her eye from ahead suffusing the white blizzard with an eerie fey like quality and almost before she could stop herself she stumbled upon a small mossy shack, its low sloped profile almost completely obscured by a huge drift piling up dangerously on one side supported by a giant Fir. It suddenly stuck elsa just how hungry she was as the warm smell of basil and onions drifted briefly across her nose before being snatched away by the wind. Sighing to herself Elsa opened the door and fell into the warm embrace of the hovel as soft darkness took her sight.

“Chicken your majesty?”

Elsa groggily came to, the edges of her vision swimming as the ceiling came into focus. Dirty wooden planks and beams, covered in hanging bundles of herbs and small game animals. The smell of herbs and slow cooked chicken hit her stomach like a sledge. Dragging herself into a sitting position she wearily took in her surroundings. Her eyes roamed across the small hut, piled high to the ceiling with all manner of strangeness which she dimly recognised as peasants tools of all varieties, herbs and game and piles of blankets and clothes haphazardly loaded into rickety wicker chairs. Across from her on the short bed a cheerful hearth burned low in the centre of the hut, heating a black cauldron and small kettle. A figure sat to her left, leaning gently towards her proffering a wooden bowl of delicious smelling soup. His brown hair was shot with grey and straggled wildly over his shoulders, framing a narrow face lined with kindness and concern. Elsa recoiled slightly when she saw the knife in his left hand.

“Wha… What do you want? Who are you?” The Queen's voice rose slightly in panic as she shuffled reflexively away from the stranger. Her eyes pinned to the knife.

“Easy there your majesty, easy” the stranger slid the knife around handle first and proffered it gently. “Its for the larger bits of the bird you see. Not many forks out this far, nor servants to pick it for you.” Elsa took the knife gently and relaxed her shoulders, her heart beginning to slow from its hummingbird pace. She took the proffered bowl and sniffed deeply from the soup whilst eyeing the stranger suspiciously. He was wearing a worn dark green gambeson and some kind of brown deerskin leggings, his boots showed age but gave away a thousand stories. Elsa recognised his boots from memories of her father, the distinctive mark at the heel from an expensive tailor from a far flung land, “Boots purely for Royalty” her father had said.

Elsa looked into the soup, tantalizing pieces of spit roast chicken floating in an onion and basil mess of brown water. Small green tubes bobbed in the concoction which smelled rich and delicious with a meaty edge she couldn’t quite identify. Her fear over poison or the worry about the foods provenance was rapidly overcome by her fearsome hunger and she launched into the soup with abandon. Looking over the bowl, elsa quirked her eyebrow at the stranger who had provided her unexpected meal. Seeing her quizzical expression the stranger spoke.

“You have nothing to fear from me your majesty, I am but a simple Skald, although as I am sure you can tell I dabble as a merchant and tradesman.”

Elsa ate rapidly, deep in thought her eyes playing over the Skalds boots.

“A Gift” the man said. “I helped someone out with a very… sensitive issue. Magic was involved and they needed an expert. He was a great man” He looked sideways, staring into memories with a light smile across his face.

“My father?” Elsa asked once she had drained the soup.

“Oh no, a king from a faraway land. A Great country filled with wine, sunlight and much merriment. And bulls, so many bulls.”

The fire crackled and popped in the background as silence descended in the small hut. Elsa felt warmth flood back to her body as the soothing effects of the heat of the fire, the warmth of the furs and the softness of the cushions below her. The night creatures of the dark mountains outside hooted and buzzed, happy that the unseasonal chill had passed. Elsa once again felt panic suffuse every fibre of her being. She was stark naked, covered only by a deerskin fur, she instinctively reached for her magic only to have a shooting pain slam into her temple.

“Easy there your majesty” The skald leaned forwards and pressed a thumb across the back of her neck. Elsa was ready to react and began bringing her hand up for a slap when the pain suddenly and sharply receded. “Press there and try not to use any magic for a while ey?. I’m sorry about your dress” he nodded at her obvious distress and settled back into the chair fetching another log for the fire.

“What happened?”

He sighed gently. “You burned out. I’ve seen it happen before in other apprentices. Too much magic and stress, too many emotions. You pulled too hard.”

“Am I… am I normal now?” Elsa felt a surge of conflicted emotions, terror, relief and sadness all mixed together, wrapped in an overwhelming feeling of loss that she did not know she was capable of feeling. 

“No no, no fear of that your majesty. At least, not the first time, you should feel your magic returning in the next few days. I have a tea around here somewhere that should help.” He wrestled himself from the chair and began rooting through a small wooden shelf unit at the back of the hut muttering under his breath. “Valarian? No, garlic and onion tea? Good lord no, hmm, where is it, Ah! Rowan and Witchroot, here we go!”

Elsa subsided into the bed gathering blankets and furs about her as she watched the man brew a thick tea using the kettle and two large wooden mugs, with only a modicum of fumbling. He nodded at a small pile of clothing to Elsa’s left, a mixture of browns and greens in rough spun wool.

“Its nothing pretty, but it’s warm. Sized for a younger man than I, should fit you well enough. I’ll go out to check the traps in a bit, give you a spot of privacy.”

 _He seems safe enough_ the young queen thought to herself _And he knows about magic!_

“Could you teach me?” Elsa blurted out, shocked by her own poor manners and the urgency of her request. A wry smile greeted her sudden request and Elsa felt the trace of a blush.

“About magic your highness? Or cooking and tea making?”

“Magic of course, please” She paused “forgive my suddenness but I have never met another human who knows anything about magic.”

“Sleep first your majesty” he said with a heavy sigh “We’ll talk more of this on the morrow. I am not looking for another apprentice right now, all I want is a quiet life”

Elsa watched him finish up the tea and laid a mug in front of her. He stood and made for the door, his mug steaming merrily.

“Drink the tea before it cools, it’s more potent that way. I’ll be back in about a quarter of an hour”

Elsa looked into the mug of supposed tea, her senses detecting a faint trace of magic swirling in the liquid. She drank deeply and quickly, the bitter liquid almost scalding her throat however she almost instantly felt a familiar tingle shoot through her hands and feet, faint and brief but there. She dressed quickly, still shielding herself with the blanket, before settling into the bed to await the return of her strange benefactor, however in spite of herself she found sleep overtaking her, her questions to remain unanswered for another day.


	2. Transpositions

The kiss, on the fjord. That was how it always started. Elsa cried tears brought forth directly from her soul, pouring out her agony over her frozen sister and slowly, miraculously she returned to life and form, whole and alive. But then, as they hugged she pulled back for a moment and gazed deep into her sister's beautiful green eyes she swore Anna’s lips had parted in anticipation of… something? As she looked down into her sweet face, so filled with concern and love she knew that true love had saved them both. Elsa leaned in and their lips met with electric passion, her heart jumped, her knees went weak and butterflies flooded the pit of her stomach. Moaning in ecstasy she let her mouth fall open and jolted in shock slightly as Anna’s tongue probed into her mouth, swift and seeking, filled with passion and desire. Elsa kissed back, deeply, feeling herself robbed of breath every second by Anna’s hold over her. Anna’s hands reached behind Elsa, one hand moving down to her exquisite rump, sending waves of arousal through her older sister.

Elsa awoke with a start, panting faintly, a painful need between her legs and shame flooding her thoughts. _How could I? How could I think such a thing! About Anna of all people. She’s so innocent._

\-----------

Frantic knocking woke Anna, dragging her from the grip of sleep. The young princess yawned, the aches and pains of an uncomfortable night crying starting to filter into her brain. Her brow knitted in confusion when she realised Elsa wasn’t here, nor could she remember her sister visiting her in the night after their pained conversation. Her dreams had similarly fled in the sudden confusion wrenching her from sleep. _Must have been one hell of a meeting, I bet she fell asleep on her paperwork again, Yep. Totally. No way she’s mad at me… I’m sure._ Anna pushed the guilty feeling over her harsh words from the night before far away before turning to the door.

“I’m awake! Jeez been awake for hours guys! Come in all ready.”

The rattling of keys heralded the arrival of a very worried looking Kai as well as Helga, Anna’s personal servant, a small gaggle of servants loitered outside of the door, whispered conversation drifting in. _This is not good_

“Where’s the fire guys? Bakery burned down? Town invaded by giant rats?” Anna’s attempt at early morning levity faded when she took in Kai’s appearance. The normally immaculately turned out seneschal was a complete mess, his uniform rumpled, shoes scuffed and his eyes bloodshot and slightly wild.

“Your highness” He bowed deeply, clearly steeling himself. “Your sister, The Queen, She… I’m afraid she failed to arrive for a scheduled meeting last night. At around the same time a fierce and implacable blizzard carpeted the castle and surrounds, indeed reports are coming in from as far away as Hoytslott of the weather.” Kai looked crestfallen and licked his lips nervously before continuing. “The magical nature of the blizzard leaves little question of its origin, however scant an hour after it began, it stopped as soon as it had begun. We thought Her Majesty returned to the castle, perhaps here, but Helga informs me that you have been alone all evening.”

Kai steadied himself, unable to meet Anna’s gaze or even look at the young princess. He knew exactly how she was likely to take this information, and he was not keen to bring further heartache.

“Do we know more Kai? Has any evidence of my sister been found? Anything at all?”

The tone of the question was low, measured, not a trace of emotion and all steely command. For a brief moment Kai could have sworn Queen Elsa was in the room, but somehow hiding inside the redhead before him.

“Nothing has been found your highness, and we have looked all night. The sun is beginning to rise and I could let you sleep no longer. We have to consider the possibility… I mean that is to say, with her magic cutting off so suddenly. The council are demanding an emergency session, and your presence”

He braced. Watching the young princess cry was enough to bring anyone in the kingdom to their knees, so beloved was she. Kai knew Anna and her sister better than almost anyone else in the kingdom and he could barely live with himself right now, knowing of the utter despair about to seize Anna.

“I see.” Again complete surprise flooded Kai as he finally raised his gaze to look at the Crown Princess. Her face was in a complete contrast to the rest of her appearance. Her hair looked as though several birds had competed for nest building privileges, her lipstick and mascara were smeared in crazed patterns across her skin and she appeared to have slept in her clothes. Her face and eyes however, her gaze was unflinching and her jaw set, and her eyes betrayed no emotion at all. Anna flung her covers back and strode to her dresser. Regal commands flying from her mouth almost faster than Kai could process them.

“Helga, It’s **that** time, Fetch my maid staff and the dress, bring the other things as well.” The maid curtseyed and shot from the room bellowing a series of names. “Kai find me Lord Dunlain immediately, have him sent here. Organise a patrol to search the grounds and the village. Have a sleigh made ready with our fastest reindeer, horses will never make the journey. Speak to Bjorgar, tell him to report at the stables for a trip to the north mountain. Find me Olaf and have him sent to me immediately, where-ever I happen to be then. Send word that Queen elsa is missing and Princess Anna formally requests the villages assistance in finding her safe and sound. Once you have done these things return to me immediately with any further news. Do you understand?” 

Kai was so stunned he could barely respond, staring dumbly at Anna as she readied ink and quill, composing a letter with a barely steady hand. This was decidedly not the Princess Anna he was used to, he had expected tears, screams, perhaps uncontrolled sobbing even, but this?

“KAI”

The sharpness of the tone caused the old servant to momentarily turn white, and likely removed a few days from his life as he nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Y-yes your highness, I believe I managed all of that. It shall be done”

“Say it back to me, I need to be sure you did not miss any of it.”

Kai compiled, before leaving the room, just before half a dozen maids piled into the room armed with with baskets upon baskets of miscellany and cosmetics.

“Alright ladies, time to go to work. Elsa needs us.”

For the first time since this hellish night had begun Kai felt a tiny measure of calm as he set to his seemingly random set of tasks, ordering servants and flunkies about with a practiced Tranquil precision.

\-----------

Kai had just completed the last of what was becoming a set of increasingly coherent tasks when he finally caught up with the council. He had just finished placing the royal huntsman Bjorgar on a fast sleigh loaded with enough cold weather provisions for a month, along with Olaf the tiny excitable snowman and a pair of hunters. Their express instructions to ride for the north mountain with an urgent letter to be hand delivered to the Queen, if she was in fact there, or Marshmallow if she was not. The sheer common sense of the plan had almost blindsided Kai, and he could not help but notice that the sleigh had been stored next to piles of the provisions already. He had barely been surprised when the Crown Princess had asked for the minutes of the last few council meetings to be urgently delivered, to be read whilst she dressed.

After being made to wait almost two hours it was safe to say that the council's tone and general demeanor was one of dissent and furor. Heated questions and angry glances were abounding in the room, although one figure seemed oddly unaffected and composed. The Duke of Almdlir had been smiling a lot to himself that morning. In the corridor outside however, Kai was waiting, his nerves jangling and his resolve wavering. _This is going to be a disaster. I don’t see it. I can’t see a way out._. The tromping of boots interrupted his despair, and he looked up into an impressive sight. Two full squads of royal guard in full dress marched down the corridor to the council room flanking the party of her royal highness Anna of Arendelle. Kai felt his breath leave him for a moment as he saw a ghost. _Iduna..?_

Anna wore a royal gown of transcendent beauty, green hued and gold lined, the brocade was in the pattern reserved purely for the royal house of Arendelle, her hair was tied up in a tight bun (A military style Kai noted) topped with the official crown of the Crown Prince of Arendelle. It was surreal to see anna wearing the heavy gold crown rather than a simple ribbon or braid as was her usual affectation but she technically had the right, His eyes falling to her waist where a pommel was visible, peeking from the train of her dress. Her makeup Kai recognised, wildly unlike anna’s usual preference (none with a side order of sleep dust or mud) as being that of her mother's favorite style, soft pastel pinks around the eyes and dark greens for the fingernails and eyelashes. Anna’s expression was, however one Kai had seen before, only once, and in his more private moments he had wished he would never see it again, for the last person he had seen wearing it was King Agnarr. An ancient bear had gone feral some time in the past and slaughtered some of the citizens of Arendelle in a remote village. The surviving villagers had journeyed to the castle to plead the king for assistance. Agnarr’s fury at the plight of his people had been legendary, and the wild determination of the hunt had become a minor legend in the nearby villages and township for decades. Princess Anna was in a killing mood.

She swept into the council room, blanketing the doors and windows with royal guards who stood to attention, but with an unmistakeable air of menace. She was flanked by the Royal Marshall Lord Dunlain, and the Captain of the Guards.

“Councillors” The word came out like a threat, all trace of sun and happiness devoid from the normally cheerful and rambunctious princess. “My Sister tells me that you have been being… unco-operative. Would you perhaps like to begin this meeting by telling me your concerns? I hear you have been shouting at one another for the last few hours.”

Kai’s mouth hung open as he listened quietly out of sight, the door providing ample cover. He could sometimes forget that Anna had been taught every lesson that Elsa had, and although she was an inattentive and poor student by all accounts, something had clearly stuck. The councillors waited a moment, clearly appraising the scene, before the shock wore off and they all began grumbling at once, their voices raising to shouts.

“Absolutely intolerable!” “Never been so disrespected!” “Should have been here hours ago” “Absolute shambles, I say.” “I demand something be done at once”

BANG. Lord Dunlain had pulled a small bearded axe from his person and slammed it into the table, eliciting a stunned silence from the nobility. “There will be order for her highness...” He said looking slowly around the room, catching the gaze of each councillor at once. Anna spoke, her voice low and steady, but carrying across the silent chamber.

You there, Lord Mustache?” Anna gestured at one of the minor nobles around the table, a count by rank. _Crap. It had been going so well_ Anna thought wistfully before continuing. “You demand something be done? Right now? Did I hear you correctly?”

“Its Count Vigo DeDerenelle your highness!” The slightly walrus faced man bristled as his face slowly built a shade of red, and his voice shook with indignation. “Absolutely, We have all been wildly insulted, the Queen has vanished without a trace, the kingdom is in jeopardy, possibly from the Queen herself at this rate, and her heir is hardly… I mean… uhh..” His voice faltered as he realised that he had perhaps said too much of his own inner concerns out loud. “In any case action is called for!”

“Strong leadership you might say, in these trying ole times? State of Emergency and all that? Strong hand at the Helm?” Some of the princesses old mannerisms broke through as a bit of cheerfulness entered her voice. _She;s,,, Playing_ thought Kai as he furrowed his brow, trying to preempt whatever it was the princess had planned _At least, I hope this is a plan, If i find out she is playing it by ear…_.

The council were nodding and murmuring strongly.

“Yes your highness! Absolutely! Why the good duke her-”

“CAN PAY HIS DAMN TAXES LIKE EVERYONE ELSE” Anna shouted. The room was once again stunned. “As the council has just called for serious action, in these trying times, and the queen is currently ill and unable to perform her royal duties I am naturally taking over. Since the council has made it clear that Elsa cannot currently rule…?” She looked around the table and saw some faint nods, although they were unsure of themselves now, only the Duke and Baroness remained confident.

“Then I am invoking Martial rule and the right of Crown Dejure and Royal Majeste. In the matter of the now declared Great Famine, We are considered to be at a state of war. Agents of the Crown shall be along shortly to ensure you may make your contributions swiftly and without issue to end the suffering of the people of Arendelle.”

If it was possible for so many jaws to simply unhinge themselves and bounce around on the floor like an impromptu game of knucklebones they would have done, certainly Kai found himself at a total loss for words. The Ancient Rights invoked by Anna (quite badly and with a mangling of the legalese) were, impossibly old, basic tenets of the feudal system itself, allowing the King (or head of state) to declare a state of war whenever necessary. During war any subject of Arendelle could be levied for nearly any purpose felt fit by the crown, the legal equivalent of simply declaring “I am the King, what’s Yours is Mine, and only by my sufferance do you exist.” A speaking council member had indeed requested the crown take emergency powers, there had been assent amongst the council. It was inelegant, chaotic and absolutely going to backfire at some point likely very soon, but Anna had played them all. Kai leaned around the door, his curiosity unable to take any more. Anna was cleaning under a fingernail with a large jeweled dagger she had apparently fished from somewhere, before flipping the knife so she was holding it casually by the blade, as any lady of court might hold a fan wafting her face lazily, completely coincidentally how one would also throw such a thing. She gazed calmly around the room, effortlessly asserting her dominance, backed up by the large number of heavily armed men, directly loyal to the crown of Arendelle.

“Any-one gotta problemo? Nope? Good” Anna sheathed the large blade in a scabbard attached to her boot, every eye in the room bulging at the strange threatening display. Before returning to a demure stance, her body language instantly shifting back to the soft, carefree goofball everyone knew and loved.

“My sister…” Anna softened almost immediately. “Queen Elsa is a saint, my Lords and Ladies. She wants nothing more than to make Arendelle peaceful and prosperous, and I’m sure you are all aware she wants nothing but the best for you all. She is charming, beautiful and diplomatic, and if she were here instead of silly old me, I’m sure she would have come up with a clever plan with your **help** ” The emphasis on the word was heavy “that would have resulted in everyone walking away happy.”

Her tone turned murderous again

“But since you all bullied her enough **to make her ill** then you are stuck with **me**.” And I do not forgive as well as my wonderful sister who we should all be thankful is Queen, and to who we all owe our **Loyalty** ”

Anna’s words slammed into the room of bemused councillors like a Jökulhlaup, many of them wincing and turning away. Only Baron Havriggar met her gaze, although he had tears in his eyes.

“If Elsa were not.. resting in her chambers” Anna lied brazenly, “recovering from this Illness she would be here to remember things, and make good decisions. Little old me? I forget things sometimes, heh, i’d forget my own head if it wasn’t attached. I mean, what are the legal statues for banishment?” The right words clearly eluding Anna in the passion of her speech, but eliciting the faintest of gasps from the assembled lords. “I don’t remember precisely, surely they can’t be that important, but Elsa, Elsa would remember. She would remember all the treaties about “rights of the nobility” and “separation of local rule. You all know me, I never paid that much attention, and frankly I think we always knew I would be a disaster as Queen, so let’s work together to get Elsa back where she belongs, Kay?”

_She just martyred herself for Elsa, they could never let her be Queen now, she threatened them all with treason, she was promising to be a tyrant. There could be Civil war in Arendelle over this_

“Your highness!” The cry came, not from within the chamber but from a page without. Clearly panting after a sprint the young boy jumped up and down outside the chambers “Princess Anna! Urgent! Queen Elsa has been found! She’s in Arendelle town, on her way to the castle with escort!”

Anna grinned with radiant joy, sheer relief flooding her features at the news that her sister was not, in fact, lying dead in a ditch somewhere or mauled at the hands of a bear.

“Gentlemen, We can finish this later, I must see to the Queen. Lord Dunlain will fill you in on the crowns requirements and plan of action vis this famine.”

Anna quit the room, sweeping from the castle faster than her guard could keep up.

\-----------

The sound of something large and furry shuffling about very close by caused Elsa to awake with something of a start. The deeply unfamiliar surroundings briefly made her panic, until she remembered the events of the previous day. Her mysterious benefactor appeared to have disappeared although she could smell hot nettle tea on the fire, as well as something meaty and warm. Her hunger returned with a vengeance and she stood, still shaky from the night before. There was a bowl on the table in front of her, which appeared to be clean with a spoon sitting in it. Elsa labelled herself some soup and tea and ate rapidly, her limbs filling with strength and the pain in her head slowly subsiding into a light throb. After her hasty meal Elsa stood, languidly stretching feeling the sensation of magic return to her limbs, a welcome relief from its notable absence the night prior. Moving outside elsa took in the scene before her, a small score of woodland animals were scurrying about eating scattered berries and shoots. The scene was surreal and peaceful, although everything around her bolted and ran after a short moment of peace.

The owner of the hut sat cross legged on a tree stump some distance in front of the hovel, his back to Elsa, his brown hair blowing softly in the wind. Elsa coughed politely.

“Your Majesty. I was just finishing my morning routine”

“Thank you, For everything. The food, saving me and… the tea. I feel much better”

“Good. I would advise not doing that again, using your powers so strongly when you are already so fragile. You might burn your magic out permanently a second time.”

“I don’t know how.” Elsa admitted quietly. “I… I need help. I need a tutor”

“I’m not looking for apprentices.”

“People will die if you don’t. I… I will die. You saw that” Elsa’s voice cracked again. “Please, I’m just so… so scared.”

The figure on the stump sighed and turned to face Elsa, his voice sounding tired but gentle.

“Your fear is the problem. You hold it tightly, wind it into who you are. Until you learn to let go of your emotions, let them leave you as freely as they came, you will never be free.”

“How do I let go? All my life I was taught to conceal my emotions, to not feel, feeling comes with magic and magic is dangerous.”

The Figure before her barked out a dismissive laugh followed by a derisive snort, his face briefly contorted into a mask of contempt.

“Whoever taught you that, knew nothing of emotions, and less of magic. If you hide and push your emotions down as a magic user, you become unpredictable, dangerous. Any first year student should be able to tell you that.”

“But I don’t know that, I don’t know _Anything_ , does that make me dangerous? You tell me, I don’t know. I need a teacher, and I don’t know anyone who can help. I have never met another who knows so much as half a truth about magic. Please, you must help me, if only for the innocent men and women of Arendelle.” Elsa bared her soul to this strange man, pleading and begging him for help. Eventually he relented, as Elsa knew he would.

“I can offer you the job of Royal Astrologer if you like, it’s an empty position at the moment and technically comes with its own quarters and a servant. I would need to know your name of course.”

“Hah, of course. That could be an issue your majesty, as sharing names is something of an… issue… amongst my kind. Just call me The Magician for now, and I think you will find everything will work out for the best.”

They broke camp together, although that hardly did justice to the display of magic that elsa was witness to. If she had any doubt that the magician was as he claimed it was dispelled swiftly and easily when he went inside the hovel and returned armed with a large leather bag and placed it upon the floor before him, he looked at Elsa.

“My bag of secrets. The only rule, no-one goes in the bag of secrets, or disaster might strike. Understand?” Elsa nodded. “Good”

The magician opened the bag, looked critically at the hovel for a moment, and moved to the corner of the hovel and _pulled_ the whole scene peeling away from the background as though it were a painting layered over reality. His hands worked quickly as he rolled and rolled, lifting all evidence of the hovel from reality until nothing remained but a roll of collected light and colour in his hands, like an oversized canvas. The magician deftly slipped the canvas into his bag, an equally improbable feat as the bag could not have been more than a foot deep, and snapped it shut.

“Shall we away to the castle your majesty?”

Elsa simply goggled, and nodded gently.

\-----------

Elsa arrived at the outskirts of Arendelle town to find the town abuzz, their slow progress through the snow had been spotted quite some way out, a small party of villagers making their way through the snow calling her name, had spotted her distinctive platinum locks in the early morning sun. She now had something of an honour guard, in the roughest sense of the term as her people, armed with pitchforks and staves guided her home, happily seizing the chance to talk with their beautiful queen about all manner of things. The support from her people was unexpected, but welcome, and they took her apologies for the blizzard quietly and poorly, although Elsa’s insistence that she would not rest until all of the damage to their liveliehoods had been made good went over well. Her new strange companion proved to be an incredible boon, steering the conversation away from the un-natural weather and towards more pleasant topics, local births, birthdays and celebrations upcoming and hinting and suggesting that perhaps a royal appearance could be on the cards.

As their group made their way through the town Elsa’s heart fell slowly with every step. Although she was surrounded by a throng of supporters she could see more than a few gathered groups casting dark glances in her direction and shaking their heads. Whispering and muttering followed the untidy procession through the square towards the castle and though Elsa was perhaps less of an expert on reading body language than she needed to be as a Queen she knew her people were angry and in pain. 

A patrol of royal guards caught up to them first, somewhat unsure of how to deal with the group already guarding the queen, but Elsa’s supporters gently surrendered her to the guards, with handshakes and promises of fealty. _I would replace my council with them in a heartbeat._ Elsa thought bitterly _Even Havriggar has betrayed me, and he was one of father's closest friends._

The Barbican of the Castle was where Elsa came undone, for Anna, her beloved Anna flung herself down the steps of the ancient portal and threw her arms around Elsa tears flowing freely. Elsa could no longer hold back the tears herself, tears she had almost forgotten to cry in the chaos of the previous day. Their guards formed a solid wall of steel around the two sisters, creating a wall of privacy where before there had been none. Anna cried freely, her words only really coherent to Elsa’s trained ears.

“E-Elsaa, why? Wh- *hic* Why did you go? I ha-had to be you, and it was so-so haard. I ca-can’t. I mean, I…. I didn't know what to do. And I ju-just did, did things and I- I think I got it all wrong.”

Anna’s small fists grabbed handfulls of Elsa’s rough clothing and gently beat her shoulders.

“You diddn’t come ba-back. You can’t do this t-to me Elsa. No-... not again. Swear it. Swear to me, if this ha-happens again, you come right to me. ME. Me first, understand?”

Elsa felt truly horrid. _I didn’t think. I never do_

“Anna… I….”

“I just love you so much and Kai thought you… he… that. We thought you had die-...” Anna Trailed off, her tears making further speech impossible as she buried her face in Elsa’s chest.

_The storm, your dress. They must have thought,,, ___

__“Oh gods, Anna, no. I am so utterly sorry, I swear it. I wasn’t, I mean, I diddn’t. I just.” Elsa cast about for the words in between her tears, and realised that nothing would ever be good enough. She pulled Anna’s face up to look at her, took her face in her hands and placed a single kiss on each of anna’s eyelids._ _

__“I Swear. Never Again. I won’t do that to you again Anna, I will never break your heart again and that is a promise.”_ _

__“No matter what?” Anna sniffed, her tears drying almost magically fast._ _

__“No matter what.” Elsa affirmed, beaming down at Anna’s face with so much love she felt she could explode._ _

__“And I come first no matter what? You will come to me with anything first? No more running off?”_ _

__“Yes Anna”, she mentioned with a sigh “I am all yours. Always yours. Now let’s go clean this all up.”  
\-----------_ _

__“She did WHAT?”_ _

__Elsa’s expression would have projected naked shock clean into the next kingdom has she still had access to her magic, as it was, she merely had a formidable set of vocal chords honed from years of singing and elocution lessons. For the person on the receiving end there was perhaps little immediate difference. Kai visible rocked backwards a little on his heels, his overall expression and demeanor having recovered somewhat with the news of Elsa’s survival and timely arrival. He was further glad for the incredible level of soundproofing in the royal quarters for the Queens voice could surely be heard for miles._ _

__“Martial Law your majesty, crudely put. She maneuvered the council into asking for, and voting on emergency powers without them realizing or ever actually discussing what they were. Then she… well… her exact wording was awful. More a hodgepodge of words than anything but her intent was clear as crystal, with almost 50 witnesses including the captain of the guard. Anna is the acting monarch, and Arendelle is technically on a war footing.”_ _

__“Hang on. Acting monarch? But i’m back now, surely we can…?” Elsa’s eyes narrowed as Kai shook his head slowly._ _

__“I spoke with some of our finest legal minds about what this all means, I believe the council is the only group with the power to declare the emergency over should Anna ask them to do so. As an acting monarch Anna has less power than she should, the law of the land is rather clear. Of course the council has to rule you fit to rule once more, and the Duke of Almdlir has made it no secret that he thinks you are not yet ahh, well.”_ _

__“More blackmail?” Elsa Sighed_ _

__“It would appear.”_ _

__“I need sleep. Send Anna to me would you?” Kai coughed quietly and motioned as if he was touching something on his head. Elsa sighed defeatedly.  
“Would you be able to request the presence of the acting Queen of Arendelle in my quarters please Kai, I would like a word at her Majesties earliest convenience. And bring me a transcript of the meeting if you would be so kind.”_ _

__\-----------_ _

__It was mid evening before Anna appeared at the door to Elsa’s quarters, carrying a large tray of sweets, and with a small gaggle of servants behind her carrying dinner. Elsa took in Anna’s strange appearance, the dress, the hair, the tiara, and, her eyes narrowed in surprise, the sword. She knocked sheepishly, a light blush dotting her cheeks, all evidence of the days crying hidden expertly behind layers of skillfully applied makeup._ _

__“Uh, hey Elsa. Ha-how do you do? I brought dinner?”_ _

__“You stole my Throne.” Elsa’s tone was flat, her face and posture completely unreadable to anyone. Anyone except Anna of course, who broke out into a broad grin._ _

__“Aww, c’mon. I always wanted to be queen just for a little bit. See if I would do as bad a job as everyone says, ‘sides, this way you get a holiday for a bit. Admit it, this is just a little bit funny.”_ _

__Elsa’s perfect composure cracked as once again Anna flawlessly read behind her mask, her face erupting into smiles as she laughed for the first time in days._ _

__“C’mon c’mon, in here guys. Table up it’s dinner time, Queen Anna commands it!”_ _

__The servants hurried in and set up a temporary table by the foot of the giant bed before filling it with all manner of sweets, chocolates and pastries. Steaming tureens of hot cocoa were brought in and the table before them soon resembled every small childs secret food fantasy land._ _

__“Oh Anna, where is the actual food? We can’t just eat chocolate for dinner! And where have you been, I sent for you hours ago?”_ _

__“Ah ah ah! Not so fast, we so can just eat chocolate for dinner, and ice cream for desert! Queen Anna commands it! Ok guys, that’ll be all, Privacy now. Super secret slumber party time.”_ _

__The servants bowed and hurried out, all trying desperately not to lose themselves to merriment at the absurdity of the role reversal and comedic tone of the new princess-regent._ _

__“Also Els, we kinda hafta eat chocolate for dinner. I um… kinda gave away most of our dinner to the folk out in the countryside. Your blizzard sorta flattened a lot of crops, and really not in a good way. Some of the hardier stuff will be ok, but most of it...”_ _

__Elsa remembered. The blizzard, the damage, everything, her fault again. She knew enough about agriculture to know that a solid frost at this time of year was enough to spell disaster for the majority of crops, even the ones they grew in Arendelle. The only thing left would be the potatoes likely. They were at least, virtually impossible to kill. Kill. _Its all my powers are good for. Killing. Me, the people around me…_. Elsa began to shake, and her vision turned inwards, the familiar pain of her burned out magic lancing across her temples._ _

__“Hey Elsa”_ _

__The warmth of Anna’s hug woke Elsa from her fuge, the soft mumblings of reassurance and the gentle scent of her sister, the one person in the world who understood her. Who knew what it was like, being her, now more than ever._ _

__“Elsa I’m… I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner. There was… eheh.. Hehhee” Anna was giggling lightly, the sound laced with worry. “There was so much paperwork to do. Just, jeez. I mean I didn't even finish it all, I just told a bunch of scribes to do as much of it as they could without me, and they stared and I ran off. I just realised I literally sound like you right now!” Her giggles continued “I always get so mad at you for not making time, and the one time you need me, I can't be there because of the gods damned paperwork.” Her nervous laughter subsided as she Gazed up at Elsa’s face, her older sister's expression nearly unreadable after her silence. Nearly. _Ok, I can do this, whattya got Els. Hmm, Fear. Gotcha, more fear.. For me? Yeah, I might have put my foot in it. Love, check, and hmm, thats a new one. Is… is that… hope?__ _

__Elsa finally spoke_ _

__“All I do is kill things. The crops, your happiness, the people around me” She shivered again. “I just want to stop feeling sometimes, just want the magic to go away.”_ _

__“But?” Anna rocked sideways into Elsa, a full body nudge, halfway between a cuddle and a poke in the ribs._ _

__“I.. I did meet someone who said he can teach me about magic. Help me control it, make me safe to be around. Keep you safe... from me.”_ _

__“Didja now. And who is this weirdo huh? Do you know anything about him? How do you know he’s not some dark wizard or evil conspirator come to steal my throne?”_ _

__Elsa gave Anna a short look._ _

__“Geez ok, YOUR throne. Which I am borrowing. Which I will give back as soon as I can. Anyhow, answers c’mon, mush!”_ _

__Elsa filled Anna in as best she could, listening to her sisters ooh’s and aah’s in all the right places of the tale. By the end Anna had concluded that he was definitely super sketchy and that she would personally interview this weird magician guy and find out his name before she would let Elsa anywhere near him. He did however, she agreed, seem like the best bet they had ever had for magical lessons outside of Grand Pabbie, and his magic wasn’t at all similar to Elsa’s, to say nothing of the distance involved. They ate a dinner of chocolate and sweets, and even Anna agreed by the end it had been a terrible idea, if singularly enjoyable, before calling the servants back to clear the table. The took turns to wash in the gigantic oversized attached ablution room before falling onto the bed together in their nightgowns (Anna having borrowed one of Elsa’s). Elsa yawned and curled up on the bed giving Anna a brief hug.  
“I think I need to sleep Anna, I’m going to need my room now.”_ _

__“Actually”_ _

__“What?” Elsa’s eyes narrowed._ _

__“This is technically _my_ room now. Yours is back down the hall. And i have already locked the door. And I hid the key. No complaining, Royal proclamation” Anna pressed a finger to Elsa’s lips as she crossed her arms as she started to voice a complaint._ _

__“Uh-tututut. Not a word. Now hug your royal majesty my Queen.”_ _

__Anna’s words sent a shiver down Elsa’s spine that she couldn’t quite identify, but she decided that she was too tired to fight anymore. She had never slept so soundly in her life, even the nightmares were absent._ _


	3. Mulch

Elsa awoke refreshed and free of her lingering headache, sad to see that Anna had already slipped out some time earlier in the morning. Frowning at the strangeness of her sister's sudden early bird tendencies she nevertheless assumed that is was symptom of anna taking her new responsibilities seriously. She washed and dressed rapidly enough despite a lack of the usual supply or maids, attendants and bearers of documents to which she had become accustomed, in fact it was nice just to be alone for once. Not even needing to use the corner screen for privacy, a near constant since her coronation, Elsa found the ability to wander around her bedroom in the nude rather liberating. She supposed if no-one was urgently looking for her, she could complete some of her more personal duties, It was time to test her strange new friend and possible mentor and see if he truly knew as much as he claimed. Elsa dressed in a simple powder blue dress, its simple elegant form allowing for a decent amount of movement, squared her shoulders and made for the exit.

On her way out of the door she almost completely bumped into Helga, Anna’s Maid who apologised and hefted one of Anna’s favorite dresses, her signature blue and blue number, with the shapely bodice and the pink cloak.

“Beggin’ your pardon M’lady, bringing this round for young Anna, Just back from the tailors for a tear on the sleeve, I swear she’s harder on clothes than the rest of the castle, if its not fighting wolves or riding reindeer it’s climbing trees or running downa cliff. Still we do love ‘er round ere, and that’s a fact. Whole of arendelle would die for that one they would, beggin your pardon m’lady.”

The Maids warm chattering brought Elsa a moment of love and respite for her stress and worry. She always envied Anna’s ability to make everyone feel loved and special, and she hoped the feeling would follow her through the day. Her stomach chose this moment to remind her that the list time she had truly eaten anything it had been pointless frippery, and the time before that… she frowned… soup? Breakfast was in order.

After some discreet enquiries about her saviour from the previous day Elsa caught up with the erstwhile magician in the south wing of the castle. This area was one of the older sections of the castle, its age and history written in the walls and low ceilings. These days this section was usually used by visiting diplomats or foreign lords as personal chambers and a secondary scullery and kitchen devoted to the needs of other guests. The odd magician had set himself up in one of the scullery area’s, the previously empty surfaces covered in a strange array of glassware, bubbling potions and alchemical strangeness. A large black cloak stretched over a tanning rack in the centre of the room and a pungent scent of metal and pitch filled the air. He nodded to Elsa when she arrived, her nose crinkling at the assault of strange scents.

“Ah, your majesty! Or is it your highness now hrm? I see the story has started to change already.” He said with a wry chuckle and a shake of the head. “I am just putting the finishing touches to a few things and we can begin momentarily if you wish?”

Elsa looked at the wooden board before the magician and felt a touch of nausea, decorated as it was with a selection of diced organs, blood and what appeared to be feathers. She decided against asking what the bloody mess was for and simply nodded, looking away from the strange preparations and moved to examine the cloak, it seemed slick with a strange almost wet sheen.

“Don’t touch it if you value your life your majesty, it’s not safe yet.”

“Is magic always dangerous? Does it ever not kill or destroy?” Elsa asked, her voice all but a whisper, pulling back her quizzical hand.

“Now that is hardly the right question your majesty. All tools are dangerous after all, what of hammers? How about a lathe? A screwdriver? Carpentry knife? All lethal if used poorly or without knowledge, all need safety and precautions, and all can perform a crafting task that involves killing, but do we judge the tools or the carpenter?”

It was safe to say that no matter what Elsa had envisaged her first lesson being with her new mentor she could never have predicted reality. Her first morning was not spent learning spells, or even the history of her craft, there were no strange herbs or unusual tinctures, it was spent sitting outside in a small walled garden doing… nothing. Just, nothing. They sat opposite one another, legs crossed, as elsa struggled to concentrate on her breathing and trying to pick apart and separate the emotions swirling through her mind, the Magicians voice a soothing dull baritone, gently walking her through the process. Elsa jerked back to awareness as other voices drifted into her consciousness, servants shouting her name, clearly seeking. It surprised Elsa how easy it was to tell their emotional state from their tone, Tiredness, Annoyance, Curiosity, Seeking. A Glance at the sky told Elsa that she had been sat outside for a solid several hours and in spite of what she would normally feel was a criminal waste of time, she felt… better? She frowned slightly, she couldn’t feel any strong emotions at all, she simply WAS, and it felt good.

“I think your Majesty, we can conclude here for the day, as it seems your servants require you for some triviality or other. You did excellently for a first lesson, your drive and earnestness do you credit, most would have asked me what the point was at least half a dozen times by now.”

“I cannot say that I understand the point yet Magician, but regardless I feel more rested than I have in…” Elsa frowned again as she looked inwards _Have I ever felt this rested?_. She thought back to a brief memory from last night when she had awoken with Anna nuzzling her in her sleep and how incredibly content and relaxed she felt. She shook the thought away and stood.

“Queen Elsa! Majesty, there you are! Kai and Master Alsace were looking for you Ma’am”

The Queen sighed a heavy sigh and, bidding the Magician farewell, hurried to the summons of her Steward and master taxman. No doubt this was something that only she could do, but she couldn’t help but faintly resent the bland servant for successfully divining her correct location.

\-----------

It was late in the day and dinner had been served across the castle, even the servants were eating, when Crown Princess Anna, the de facto Queen Regent, stumbled across the alchemical laboratory, its bizarre selection of smells and odd sounds attracting the adventurous young woman and filling her with curiosity. She was busy sneaking across the scullery towards the large book sitting open at one of the giant stone tables when she was so rudely interrupted by a voice.

“Ahoy your Royal Highness. To what do I owe this inestimable pleasure?”

Anna turned slowly, her comedically exaggerated sneaking pose, slowly subsisting into a more normal regal posture. She felt a flash of annoyance at just how warm and jovial the strange man seemed to be. _I’m supposed to be the interrogator here buddy! Don’t think i’ll let you charm your way into my sisters heart so easily!_ Puffing out her chest Anna marched towards him, noting his slightly shabby homespun appearance, his green wool jacket, brown deerskin breeches and white undershirt all conspiring to make him look like a stereotypical member of the Citizenry of Arendelle. _I’m onto your tricks Mr, don’t think i'm not, I’ll- EEE CUTE!_

Her mouth hanging open, a stiff reprimand halfway to her lips anna was transfixed by the tiny furry creature he held, its huge comical (almost conical) ears, and giant eyes marking it out as some kind of prey animal, and its tiny front paws, huge back feet and preposterous whiskers making it likely it was some kind of… rat?

“My familiar” The man shrugged, holding the creature forth for Anna to take, which she duly did, feeling the tiny creatures heart beat through its enormous back paws. Its fur was as soft as air, and it began washing its whiskers contently whilst Anna simply stared at it sitting in her hands.

“Wha-. Right. Yeah.” Anna’s thoughts had been completely de-railed. She looked up at the magician again, who had busied himself with some of the glassware, turning valves and adjusting the heat. “What do I do with…?”

“With Kitty? Just plop her down somewhere, she is mostly imaginary anyway, so she won’t come to any harm, I imagine she will head back out into the garden again, she’s doing a fine job at keeping the grass short.”

Anna carefully placed the bizarre creature on the floor, only to watch in enchanted wonder as she took a chunk out of the princesses snow boot and hopped across the floor towards the doors into the garden at speed. 

“Right, so. You're the guy that saved my sister huh? Don’t think that makes me trust you right away or nothing! I’ve had bad experiences with trusting people I just met” Anna put forth, faintly wagging a finger as she stood brushing off her skirts, but they both could tell that Anna’s heart wasn’t in it.

“The brazen treachery of the young prince from the southern isles is something of a tavern favorite your majesty, as is the particularly satisfying ending to that tale at the hands of the hero.” He mimed throwing a punch. “Rest assured, I have no doubts about your ability to vanquish any such threats in the future, just remember, the thumb goes outside of the first.”

Anna felt the last of her resistance falter as the skinny mage grinned at her “I for one am trying to turn it into a song, although my skills with a lute are, as always lacking at best”

“Whatcha making there?” Anna inquired, her curiosity finally winning over suspicion and she wandered closer to the strange bubbling contraption.

“A Potion of Feathers, it's a difficult recipe, and frankly I’m having a hard time getting it precisely right. It is somewhat… indirectly fatal, if poorly prepared. And I am running out of hens hearts.”

Anna’s eyes shone with wonder as the newly appointed court astrologer showed her the huge grimoire of magical potions and explained the purposes of some of the stranger pieces of glassware, from cooling tubes, to condensing funnels. After half an hour of excited chattering and gasps of amazement Anna was forced to make her apologies and leave, chased again by servants and guards needing her royal input. _I hate being queen. It’s such a draaaag, I wish I could just wave my hands and give it back to Elsa. She is so amazingly good at this_. It was hours before Anna realised that she knew nothing more about the mysterious mage than she did going into the whole thing. _At least his hoppy rat thing was cute_.

\-----------

By mid evening Elsa was beginning to get concerned, usually she would have seen Anna at least twice by now, once at dinner, and immediately after the post dinner meeting with the royal council. Queries into his sister's whereabouts were met simply with replies of “Busy” or “In council” and whilst she could indeed divine that a council meeting was occurring she had no clue how long it was going to last. Her current disfavoured position prevented her from accessing the council rooms without breaking tradition, and Elsa felt vulnerable enough as it was. Almost out of desperation she sought out Anna’s personal assistant Helga, who sympathised and pointed out the similarities to her current situation and most of Anna’s existence, but assured her that she would see her sister tonight, and that Anna had specifically booked time to see her.

“Time to see her” it turned out meant a late evening meeting at the entrance to the castle, where Elsa discovered two reindeer waiting with a royal sleigh packed to the gills with blankets and supplies. Anna sat astride the reins beaming as Elsa took in the sight. Anna waved her over enthusiastically.

“Elsa! ElsaElsaElsa, come one! Were going to be late! We gotta go! Hop on”

Bemused as her little sister's sudden need for alacrity after having not seen her all day, Elsa nevertheless complied as swiftly as she could, clambering slightly awkwardly into the sleigh. The two royal guards watching the exchange made a large song and dance out of “accidentally” dropping their pole-axes and taking an awfully suspiciously long time to pick them back up, whilst saying “I sure hope they don’t get away from us whilst I am Picking this up Jurgen” “Yeah that sure would be a shame Duff.” By the time they had straightened up the sleigh was halfway out of town, Anna riding the box like a racing jockey.

Anna slowed the pace just outside the outskirts of town, flopping back into the seat next to elsa and relinquishing the reins, tying them off.

“Take it away boys, somewhere for a nice picnic if you please” Anna spoke directly to the reindeer as though they were any other retainer, before snuggling into Elsa. They sat in the sleigh as it crunched along the track, laying into the pile of blankets and watching the whirl of the stars above them. The ride into the highlands was brief and comfortable, the warm smell of highland thistles, heather and juniper heavy in the air, the chirping of insects and, just on the edge of hearing the faint squeaks of bats flitting about. The sleigh slid to a halt naturally in a small clear space amongst the shrubs, a secret spot hidden from the world. Elsa audibly gasped as she exited the sleigh, the tiny clearing found by the reindeer had an incredible view over one of Arendelle's many hidden valleys, the rolling fjord falling away before them, patches of alpine forest swaying gently in the early summer breeze. The aurora above them carpeted the scene in a surreal dappled pattern of greens and light purples. They had an almost perfect view of a forgotten Sieidi, the ancient pile of stones and moss glowing faintly under the starlight and aurora, faint sparks of magic passing between the two pillars. Elsa turned, her breath catching in her throat at the sheer beauty of it, and her eyes fell upon Anna.The young princess was laying out a picnic blanket, and a twin bedroll, she motioned for Elsa to join her on the blanket.

“Anna” elsa’s voice was soft, awed by the sight. “This is unbelievable.”

“It should get better” Anna whispered laying on her back and staring at the sky. The two sisters rested under the stars and Aurora, eating fine food straight from the picnic basket, and partaking in excellent wine. Anna had packed a selection of delicate picnic foods, from the exquisite foreign Avocado smeared on frankish toast with a twist of citrus, to the delicious smoked fish and tiny savory pastry rolls. The wine was perfect, if a little cold, and they both relaxed in the silence, the sound of the reindeers foraging on the wild juniper the only thing disturbing the silence. The first shooting star took elsa by surprise, but Anna just pulled her closer and linked fingers with Elsa.

“Its starting” Anna whispered, her lamp like green eyes drinking in Elsa’s enchanted expression. The sky filled with streaking gold, glittering trails of fire contrasting the enchanted twists of ribbon and their shifting rainbow hues. The urge to do something insane gripped Elsa, and she reflexively turned to Anna, leaning their faces close together. Elsa felt her breathing go shallow, her pulse thundered through her veins like meltwater. Anna’s face glowed, her expression unreadable to Elsa. The Ice Queen's lips diverted at the last second, brushing a kiss across Anna’s nose, right between the young princess's eyes, eliciting a content sigh from Anna.

The false sun rose, as a cloud of fireflies took off from the bushes surrounding the young couple, dancing through the enchanted nights sky, the air thick with feelings. Anna buried her face into her sister's chest, mumbling incoherently.

“I wish we could stay here forever, like this forever.”

“Me too” Elsa squeezed Anna’s shoulders her eyes glued to the heavens before her.

“Love you Elsa”

“I love you too Anna”. Elsa’s heart felt suddenly heavy, weighed down with secrets and despair. “The council are trying to get me to marry the Duke” Elsa confessed with a whisper, and she felt her sister stiffen completely against her.

“I know... Bastards.” Elsa blinked repeatedly, her tears shocked back by the sudden profanity from the redheads normally sweet lips. “They want me to marry someone as well. They keep trying to get me to agree to a ball to find suitors. I stalled them with the whole war thing, but…” Anna fell silent.

“We’ll work it out. As long as we try together, everything will be ok”

They lay, quietly, for quite some time before reluctantly packing up to head back to the castle.

\-----------

The dream again, the fjord, the loss and terror and once again Anna’s beautiful face and wondrous green eyes, two wells of love and emerald green starlight. Elsa found herself at a loss staring at the vision before her, a million emotions swirling through her mind. love, guilt and an indescribable feeling of happiness. Again the dream changed slightly as Elsa stared in rapt amazement. Anna’s expression changed almost imperceptibly her eyebrows folding down slightly and her lips quirking in an expression Elsa had seldom seen on Anna’s face as her lips parted over and over again. Impatience. After the third time of making the motion Anna launched her face at Elsa with a fierce kiss taking the Queen by surprise as their tongues met, more forcefully this time. Anna moaned into the kiss as Elsa once again felt the incredible electric sensation of their lips and tongues. A cold dancing shiver of arousal shot jagged lines though Elsa’s midriff, lancing towards her most intimate places and she felt her nipples hardening as one of Anna’s hands slipped slowly around towards her front, tracing lines across elsa’s ribs and slowly questing upwards… the dream started to slip away. _No… wait… Anna..._ The dream faded into blackness and a confusing swirl of colour and Elsa was lost.

Again Elsa awoke back in her chambers, with an uncomfortable need between her legs and with little true knowledge of how to respond to the situation. _I must be ill surely, I can’t be having these thoughts about my sister! My precious Anna, And my body feels so strange, so hot and my head feels. Gah, I can’t think_. the last thought came out in a needy whine, even in Elsa’s head and the growing slickness between her legs attested to her altered state. Her primary saving grace was that Anna was no-where to be found, having elected to sleep in her old room the night before. She had been evasive, stating that “ruling was busy work” and she did not want to keep elsa up whilst reading. She hustled into her en-suite bath chamber and quickly filled a bucket with cold water. Hesitating, she set another bucket filling from the tap and stepped onto the tiles next to the giant royal bath. She peeled her nightclothes from herself, her flawless porcelain skin flashing in the morning sunlight, her pale nipples hard as diamond glass as she positioned the bucket above her head, arched her slim, toned physique backwards and poured the icy water across her trembling form. Trembling not because of the temperature, after all she could not feel the cold, but trembling at the lingering after effects of the dream. Her sex felt almost painful, and try as she might she could barely extinguish the heat. Elsa’s life had never truly featured a family after her parents unfortunate demise, and despite her excellent tuition in the scholarly and political arts by some of the best tutors the crown could find there had never been anyone to ask about… this, sort of thing.

Her last memory of anything shameful related to her innermost area had been a stern conversation with her mother in the bathroom after she had been caught doing something rather un queenly with the side of the bathtub. Ever since then she had been careful to keep her hands above her waist at all times except when washing and not to abuse the castle furniture anymore. The fire between her legs had abated slightly and Elsa racked her brain for mundane things. _Visit the library, call on the law minister, double check this ridiculous Regency Law, Placate the council. Get Harvriggar alone somehow, something not right there._ Slowly Elsa returned to her normal and regal self as she dressed sedately in her room before conjuring one of her signature Ice dresses over her silk underwear. In the back of her mind however, the dark swirl of thoughts had not gone away, the neckline on her dress was just a touch deeper than normal, the slit up the side higher and bolder, and the trailing cape was longer and thinner. Elsa applied a deep red lipstick almost without thinking before heading out to meet the challenges of the day.

\-----------

The morning's council meeting was a brief experience for Elsa, albeit painful. She found herself sat in a chair, away from the table, in Anna’s usual spot, if she ever deigned to appear in a council meeting of course, and it struck Elsa just how isolated this location was, and just how demeaning it was for her to sit here. _No wonder Anna never shows up_. When she got her throne back there would be some changes to be certain. Anna would sit at her right, with full privileges to come and go as she pleased, to speak her mind, and to silence these blabbering fools as she willed. Elsa raged at the silence she was forced into, as the old fools discussed her future.

The Duke of Almdlir made it perfectly clear that Elsa would not be returned to the throne until she was considered well again, until that time the emergency powers would remain with Anna. Elsa’s presence would not be required at future meetings until her health could be assured. His slimy glances towards Elsa’s figure left her in very little mind to exactly what he meant by that. Her attempts to assuage their fears about her emotional stability were thoroughly dismissed, and Elsa knew that she had been finally relegated back to just being a “little girl” in their estimation. Miraculously Anna somehow held their respect, and certainly they all silenced when she began to speak, they all seemed strangely nervous when she began to fan her face with a jeweled fan, but even Anna was unable to make any headway into any matters of import outside of the immediate famine. Elsa wasn’t quite sure why the Head Marshall of Arendelle was in attendance, but his large bulk seemed to work as a calming presence in the room. It rapidly became apparent that the duke was holding any further progress hostage, his demands clear. _Agree to marry, or your kingdom suffers_

Elsa rose from her chair, frost forming across her right arm as she readied her magic, barely thinking any more, the Duke's time had clearly run out. It was only the accidental eye contact with Anna’s face that her resolve faltered briefly and Anna shook her head faintly, a pained look of disappointment and horror etched into her features. Anna pressed two fingers to her lips and then to her heart. Elsa wasn’t sure of the exact meaning, but the broader implications were clear, Anna did not want her sister to become a killer. Elsa had fled the council room immediately after, faint chuckling filtering into her ears and following her down the hall. A colossal act of will the only thing between Elsa a complete break down, Thick ice flowed behind her, a white-blue trail of despair, freezing the halls and boots of anyone unfortunate enough to be caught up behind the fleeing monarch.

\-----------

By the time Elsa had reached the library her emotions were an icy fog sitting in the pit of her stomach, and her head had slightly calmed. The magical effects following her had limited themselves to an unpleasant icy wind curling about behind her, investigating tapestries and curling across people's spines. The head librarian looked up from his desk, his thinning white hair clipped into short curls and his mustache twitching with interest at the unexpected presence of the Queen of Arendelle. He had a kind old face, lined and aged, but filled with warmth. "Your majesty, what a pleasant surprise. Why, i haven't had a royal come and visit my little corner of the castle in… oh almost a day now. I trust you will be somewhat less of a handful than our royal highness?” He let out a grandfatherly chuckle and raised his hands in mock surrender. “I jest, I jest your Majesty, but young Princess Anna has been in here an awful lot recently, something must have caught her eye, not that she has let me know what she is reading or looking for this past week. What can this old man do for you today?”

Elsa looked down at the man with a haughty expression, but she had nothing but affection for the old man in truth, he was a harmless old relic, who had been nothing but sweet to Elsa throughout her entire life. “Regency Law, Emergency Powers, Transfer of Powers and the Expanded Powers of the Nobility.” Elsa listed off the likely titles of the books she could dimly remember from her childhood lessons. The old librarian took her hands in his, and Elsa was shocked briefly at the informality, before remembering this man was old enough to be her great grandfather.

“Luckily your Majesty we have two copies of most of our more vital tomes. Yours are already on the table in the centre of the room.” Elsa gave him a look of confusion

“Mine?”

“Yes, your majesty, and Crown Princess Anna’s are… well, where-ever she took them after she checked them out two days ago. Don’t let them ouster you girl, your father wouldn’t have let them win, and neither will you.”

Elsa felt buoyed by the old servants confidence in her as she regally made her way to the centre of the room, finding a neat stack of books on the table, bookmarks bristling from the ancient books at presumably significant intervals. She settled down for a long morning, and grabbed the first book from the top of the stack. And began to read.

\-----------

Elsa dejectedly trudged down the corridor, deep in thought but heading for the royal dining chamber, there was a slim chance Anna would have gotten out of Council early enough to share lunch together. Her hopes had largely been dashed by the fruitless morning in the library, she had thus far found little of use. She needed at least a few council votes to go her way to re secure her position, but the Duke had seen to that. Elsa’s mood had sunk to an all time low, and she felt drained and hopeless.

“Your Majesty” The voice was hissed and urgent, and hugely familiar. Baron Havriggar was standing inside a door to one of the antechambers to the dining room, the room shrouded in darkness, he was gesturing urgently for Elsa. Elsa hesitated briefly, her concern about the barons unusual behaviour wrestling with his gut instinct that this man had been one of her father's closest friends. _I am not going to get a better chance to speak to Havriggar than this_. Elsa gave a last glance around the halls before slipping into the dark chamber, closing the door behind her. Baron Havriggar Havriggar the Third was an imposing man although now running to fat, his once impressive black hair greying, and his expensive tunic poorly kempt, still showing evidence of his last meal. Elsa fixed him with her best regal glare, eyes flashing with danger, her voice low and icy.

“Speak so called friend of my father.” Havriggar flinched.

“Your Majesty.” The baron's voice was weak and Elsa could see tears forming at the corner of his eyes. “Please…. I.” He glanced around the room, running his hands through his hair. “I was weak”. The Baron took a huge breath, clearly trying to steady his nerves. “I… I am a traitor to the crown, I make no excuses, but please hear me out. My…mistress…” The last word came out in a grimace. “The Duke of Almdlir, he.. He has her, the woman I love. Exactly where I don’t know. He will kill her if I do not comply with his desires. At first, it was just a minor thing, a policy here and there, but now… I can’t do this anymore.”

Elsa’s heart broke under the weight of her conflicting emotions, as the Baron broke down in tears in front of her.

“I don’t even know if she is still alive” The baron's voice had been reduced to a thin croak as he pushed the words out between sobs.

“Havriggar… Oh you fool. You poor fool. I am glad you told me the truth”

Elsa gently patted the baron on his shoulder as he slumped in a chair, tears flowing freely, whilst her mind worked furiously. _I have no-one I can talk to about this. I don’t know who to trust, aside from kai, and if the baron has been unable to find her… What do I do? What do I even do?_

“Say nothing for now old friend, I need time to think.”

The door was silent as it clicked shut, leaving the Baron alone to his thoughts and private anguish.

\-----------

Trying to maintain an air of normality in the face of Baron Havriggars shocking revelation Elsa proceeded with her previous plans and sashayed into the royal dining hall. To her absolute delight Anna was sitting at the head of the table, toying with a tureen in front of her, her nose buried in some paperwork, a stack of things to read next to her. Anna’s face transformed as she noticed Elsa’s arrival from one of irritated concentration to a dazzling smile. Elsa stomach fluted gently as Anna’s musical voice sprung out.

“Elsa!” _She really is pretty_ The thought only briefly graced Elsa’s brain, before being swept away by a thousand other pressing issues.

“Anna, i was hoping we could have dinner together? There are some things I think we could discuss.”

“Of course, i was waiting for you. The starter is soup” Anna whispered almost conspiratorially, raising her eyebrow as if letting Elsa in on a grave secret, her giant grin splitting her face. Elsa couldn’t help the giggle escaping her lips, and soon both were trying to hide their mouths whilst leaning on one another for support, their laughter pealing around the room.

The meal was as usual, excellent, made all the better by the company. The fiery young redhead was the first to break the subject of the recent events.

“They’re being super difficult. We can’t find any grain to buy anymore, even though I managed to get them to pony up the cash, I think the duke did something again. And don’t even get me started on the bandit problem.” Anna looked dismayed, as she toyed with her dessert, a chocolate and cream mess, with summer fruits adorning it. Elsa knew she must have been seriously bothered to be unable to eat.

“I might have a place to start, but I don’t know what to do with the information. We don’t have anyone on staff who is skilled at… ahh… subtlty do we?”

Anna looked fascinated by Elsa’s cagey revelation. “Subtle? Like… like Spying?” Anna whispered. Elsa almost imperceptibly nodded, and Anna’s face fell slightly.

“No, I don’t think so.” Anna chewed her lip briefly. “Closest thing we have is your Magician, and I don’t think I trust him yet.”

Elsa agreed.

“So what did you learn?” Anna’s eyes were alight with wonder. Elsa told her, and Anna’s expression fell. The rest of the now, rather short, dinner was spent discussing the future, luckily it appeared that no matter how much pull the Duke had with the council he couldn’t actually force elsa to marry him at swordpoint, so they resolved to wait a while longer. Anna would continue to stall, and Elsa would recover her strength and see if she could find anything new to help their situation.

\-----------

Elsa continued to study “magic” under the tutelage of her newest servant every other day, waking early and making the now familiar journey to the nearly abandoned section of the caste, Her lessons were mostly simple affairs, question and answer sessions about her thoughts and feelings, with at least two hours of meditation mixed in. In spite of herself Elsa was beginning to get frustrated with a lack of concrete answers or any lessons on anything apparently to do with spells or lore, and so it was after days of meditation sessions and learning about her emotions and thoughts she finally asked a question.

“When are you going to teach me about my powers?” Elsa’s posture was one of vexation, her arms folded and her hips quirked, a clear sign of danger, but her face was serene and composed. They had after all just finished an hour long meditation on love, concentrating on feeling love and thinking about someone who they wanted to make happy, more than anything in the world. Anna had barely left her thoughts all morning, and the residual smile was still painted on her face and soul.

“Just did.” Elsa was getting used to the Magicians clipped way of speaking when he wasn’t telling a story or giving a lecture, he gave just enough words to relay a message and no more.

“No you didn't, we just spent all morning talking about Anna,” Elsa’s blood froze, and she stilled instantly, the smile vanishing from her face briefly whilst she struggled to maintain her composure. Surprisingly she felt this was a lot easier than usual in spite of her colossal blunder. Also surprisingly was her mentors complete lack of a reaction to her sudden accidental revelation that it was Anna she had been thinking about all morning.

“Make a snowball.” He nodded at elsa’s right hand and she complied, feeling her power simply flow into her hand precise and controlled.

“Icicle” _ok_ The form of the icicle was clear and perfect, the plationic ideal of hanging frozen ice.

“Big crystal” _easy_ He pointed to the foor. “Chair” _Done_ ”Lounger” _Give me something hard!_  
As he called out a series of objects Elsa lost herself to the task, not sure where her mentor was going with this but hopeful she would get an answer if she performed sufficiently well. The small garden was soon covered in an array of 40 or so icy items, from dressers to balls, even a wardrobe.

“Carriage” _hmm, a carriage is a complicated thing, but they look like... THIS_

A large stately carriage made of ice and sunlight formed before Elsa, magic swirling and flowing from her fingertips as she wove the threads together into a thing of elegance and precision. She had no time to think before her master was pointing again and urging her on, the beginnings of a grin upon his face. Elsa felt like she was flying, but she was calm. Exhilarated and yet strangely calm and in control.

“Flying Horse”

 _Pegasus, looks like thi-_. The horse was almost completely formed before elsa’s thinking mind caught up to what it was she was actually doing and her eyes began to bulge slightly and her hands faltered briefly. The creature before her shifted, still partially formed but with a trace of something there.

“Ah! Think of Anna, think how happy she is going to be when you have finished, come on!”

An image of Anna exploding with glee at being given a flying horse tickled elsa and she almost shyly got out of her own way. Anna’s face lit up, with a million idea’s for all of the trouble she could get into with a flying horse was just too much for Elsa. Letting her hands work and trying to stay calm she finished the magnificent beast with a name.

“Cloud” She breathed. “His name is Cloud.”

Improbably, no impossibly, the beast before her came to life, whinnying and bucking as if glad to be alive. It looked like a pure white horse, with eagles wings, made of partially melted snow. Its features were muted, softer than a real horse, almost like a child's drawing, and it was blindingly evidently magical, glowing in the midmorning sun with a pale blue light. Elsa stepped forward almost reverently and placed her hand on the beast's snout, It chuffed lightly in pleasure at the contact. “How?”

“Tell me you could do that on command a week ago?” The Magicians grin was self evident now, as he appraisingly looked at the snow creature.

“No. No I… not easily. And not willingly. How did you teach me to do this? I mean, you didn't, not really, because I don't think I could do it again.”

“Your magic is tied to your emotional state, you get more powerful at any end of the spectrum, but you lose control. Power without control is worthless. I taught you to start getting out of the way of your emotions, to stop holding them in tight like a spring, and to separate your thoughts from your emotions, to really ask WHY those thoughts make you feel that way. I gave you control. This” He gestured to the pegasus “You could always do. You just needed the control, and the confidence.”

In spite of herself and the magnificence of her creation Elsa felt herself prickle a little with annoyance. She felt the emotion rising up, trying to spill into anger, and with it a swirl of aggressive magic, and tried to follow her lessons.

“I feel some annoyance coming my way” She concentrated, steadying her breathing.

“Where is it going?” Her mentor asked in a soothing voice.

“Away” Elsa replied with the beginnings of a smile. _Just step back, let it flow past. Easy_

“And where did it come from?”

“An unanswered question, a need… no, a desire, to know the answer to the question I thought I had posed.” She had gotten used to this manner of thinking and speaking, in the past week, an easy fit with her naturally calculating view of the world, honed by decades or royal training, but an ill fit with her natural emotional turmoil.

“Ask the question again, more detail this time, and we shall see If I can provide the answer you seek”

“How do I add life to things with magic? I have no idea how it even works. I desire to know the magic behind it, how it works”

The magician laughed and launched into an explanation with the practiced ease of one who had seen many students, idly examining the many objects strewn about..

“You are queen of this land, Queen by right and indeed by blood. All within this land are yours to command and control, even the spirits. Spirits of air and winter will be easiest, but there are others too who would serve you if you ask. Most will serve but for a time, such as Cloud here, he is particularly powerful, and will seek to be released when they feel it is right. You can feel them around you if you learn, and imbue them into things, as long as the thing in question fits their shape they will wear it well and with pride. There are many spirits who will serve simply for the novelty of the experience, their existences are so very different from our concepts of being alive, and they are immortal and thus bore easily. Most mages can learn to do some of what you can naturally, but your personal connection makes it a second nature to you”

Elsa looked at the pegasus she had created, still awed at its existence, even as she knew it was just here for a time. Though Elsa would never admit it, she and Anna were naturally alike, and for every incident that Anna had managed to create growing up, from “saving” the hens to be eaten for the feast by looseing them all in the ballroom, to deciding to grow frogs in the bath in her room, Elsa had wished she had been there for them all. The twinkle of mischief crept into her eye and she flung herself onto the mount in a graceful motion, thrills shooting down her legs and arms.

“Perhaps we can continue our lessons tomorrow?” Elsa asked in a regal manner, although her eyes spoke giddy volumes.

“Who am I to get between a lady and her flying horse?” The man asked, his chest heaving with laughter as elsa cantered Cloud about and urged him into the sky. He pushed his long hair out of his eyes, sweeping it back to pin it in place with a leather thong as he tracked the queen's progress up into the sky, streaking across the sun. Cloud came about, banking low, the magic of his flight providing impossible agility and speed as she aimed for a balcony on the castle. Right outside the council chambers. _I... am going to rescue my damsel in distress from those evil old men, on my flying horse, and we are going on an adventure, Right NOW_

Anna’s face was exactly as Elsa had imagined it when she rode the winged steed into the council chamber, the windows blasted open by a frigid breeze, and she had accepted her place in the adventure with awe on her face and not a single word.


	4. New Growth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic "might" be going on hiatus for two weeks due to IRL concerns, so if the updates cease please do not be worried. I have every intention of resuming at some point around july 10th or so. See you all on the other side.
> 
> I am back, and the fic is once again underway. It should be updated in the next couple of days depending on how quickly I can write.

Anna and Elsa managed to meet at breakfast every day that week, a welcome change from their recently stormy schedules, and every day Anna’s smile was a little brighter, and warmed Elsa’s heart a little more. In spite of the dire situation Elsa’s confidence was starting to slowly build, she was making progress learning to control her magic and some of her former allies in court were looking on her with affection again. The display with the pegasus had served of something of a spectacular reminder of the powers the Queen of Arendelle could theoretically bring to bear and seemed to have left something of a positive note amongst some of the undecideds in the room. Breakfast this morning was, once again a warm affair that sent butterflies into Elsa’s stomach when she approached Anna, her gorgeous sister, all smiles and rainbow butterfly hairclips. 

“Hey Elsa! Come give me a hug! Gotta make use of my royal privileges whilst I still have em right?” Elsa obliged, leaning down and giving her sister an awkward hug, her cleavage brushing the sides of the youngers girls cheeks as Elsa cradled her head in a comforting embrace.

She sat, the faintest powder of a blush resting across her cheeks as she wondered if the hug had perhaps not been appropriate but such thoughts were rapidly banished from her mind as Anna slid into her lap, slightly splayed with her right arm draped across elsa’s shoulder but with  
One hand free to spear food items with a fork.

“Anna! What are you doing?” Elsa giggled.

“Taking care of my beautiful sister.” Anna replied loftily whilst spearing a small savory breakfast pastry with a long fork and guiding it into Elsa’s mouth. Elsa received the pastry with a tiny smile, she loved Anna when she was free and happy like this, Anna was the sun in her sky, the light of her world. Her attention was snached however as she watched Anna skewer another pastry with the same fork and greedily lick it off the tines. The knowledge that the fork had been in Elsa’s mouth but a moment before caused her a small shiver. Anna shifted in her lap slightly.

“Cold?” she asked “Bacon” she replied with a confident voice, leaning deep across the table to curl some bacon across her fork. Elsa’s eyes trailed down Anna’s shoulders and spine, coming to rest on her beautiful rump, wiggling against her lap, before her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Anna’s foot playfully wiggling against her leg. The contact sent tiny sparks crawling across Elsa’s skin, and she was almost too distracted to eat the bacon being offered to her on the fork. Eat, however she did, and Anna seemed pleased before reaching out to fetch herself a piece.

“Anna”. It took Elsa longer to manage to find the strength to speak than she would have liked to admit. Anna looked faintly concerned, as tried to feed Elsa a tiny sausage.

“Hmm?”

“Mph. My Leg” Elsa struggled out through the sausage.  
“Leg?” Anna looked bemused before looking down to where her feet were wriggling against Elsa’s leg on one side, and the other foot wriggling against the chair leg. “Oops. I was trying to work out why one was so much softer and nicer than the other, sorry”. Anna’s mood deflated slightly, a cloud moving before the sun. Elsa reflexively hugged her, arms folded across Anna’s chest, trying to prevent the rain she feared would start to fall.

“They’re going to marry me off Els. The Ball, it's happening. People are starving, and half of the roads are filled with bandits, and these losers are planning a party. It’s you or me, they said.”

Silence fell across the table. Elsa sniffed loudly in the silence her face buried in Anna’s side.

“I’m going to do it Elsa. It's all I can do at this point, and this way you don’t have to marry the duke. At least I will get to choose a guy right?” Anna’s voice was bitter.

“No” Elsa’s voice was harsh and low, muffled by her sisters dress. “I won’t let you. I forbid it.”

“Elsa. I love you.” Anna took Elsa’s face in her hands, twisting on the chair to face her. She held their faces apart forcing Elsa to look her in the eyes, and making her heart jump in excitement. “I will not let you be forced to marry that… that… SLUG. If I cannot marry the person I love, then you will at least be free to choose. I want you to marry for love Elsa, not because some _Bastard_ forced you. If I can’t have- Have that. Then _you_ can.”

“It will not come to that. I swear on our ancestors. We will both marry for love. I would sooner die otherwise”

Anna’s eyes filled with tears.

“My love is that important to you?” she whispered, her voice hoarse

“Always. I made a promise never to break your heart again, and I mean to keep it.” Elsa’s voice was firm, but her eyes were distant. Rapidly thinking over the problem again and again. Anna forced a laugh and kissed Elsa’s forehead, before reaching over to the dessert section of the table and scooping up a forkful of chocolate and cream and messily feeding it to Elsa. Her sister giggled gently and accepted the tasty treat, her mood lifting slightly as the delicious dessert hit her tongue and lips, the fork left her mouth smeared in cream and chocolate, and not a small amount of saliva, and Elsa watched with a mixture of arousal and confusion as her sister scooped another forkful and cleaned the fork with every sense of enjoyment, before their eyes caught. Anna’s face blushed as she realised Elsa was staring still slightly open mouthed, as the younger of the two reached across and swiped some cream and chocolate off the top of Elsa’s lip with her finger. She popped it into her mouth with a satisfied sound, before sliding off her sister's lap and stretching languidly.

“I have to go be queen. I’ll keep things ticking over, and try and stall the ball as long as possible. You go see your new friend and see if you can work out a plan. We need options and we need them fast.”

Elsa’s mind dimly remembered that it once knew how to think, and perhaps how to speak once upon a time, before the sun blinded her and the taste of spring on her lips silenced her voice. Anna left her to her thoughts, yawning as she walked towards a nearby dressing room, clearly keen on finding shoes.

\-----------

Elsa felt a trill of excitement every time she stepped into the makeshift lab despite the lack of magical secrets so far revealed, for it usually meant she would have a wonderful relaxing morning and leave with a clear head. This morning she was quite a bit more excited than usual having very recently achieved a major milestone with her magic. She had seldom ever actually achieved anything so controlled and intentional with her magic, and to have been able to call a spirit into a form was something she had only achieved on purpose during her incident and the great thaw, when she first unshackled her magic. She felt less awful about the snowgies melting now that she knew they were not exactly dead, but simply returned to their previous forms after their brief service was up. She walked into her mentor's lab with a confident sashay and a smile to find her royal astrologer busy apparently playing with a small fire, some straw and cloth blazing merrily in a metal tray.

“Ah! Your majesty. What a pleasure again. I’m communing with fire as you can see, I am not as gifted at simply speaking to spirits as you.”

The normally mercurial Magician seemed somewhat cagey but Elsa brushed it off in her good mood. 

 

“Hmm, perhaps we can do some actual magic lessons today? I know you have been impatient, and your progress with your meditations has done you credit.”

Elsa felt her heart spike with joy and she reflexively clapped her hands together allowing a small squeak of pleasure to escape before demurely covering her mouth with her hand. Somewhere, Elsa swore she could hear Anna laughing, but she followed her teacher out onto the lawn as usual, to find a pedestal set up with a book already open to a page near the front. The magican took a position near the book and began a lesson on the basics of calling up magical power. Elsa learned much that morning about the nexus points in the world which allowed magic to flow into Midgard, the land of men, and how mortals and certain attuned individuals could learn to harness their powers. He explained in detail the motions and thoughts required to move magic, and call its eldritch power into oneself, about the history of hermetic magicians and their painstaking search for the correct rituals and power to allow them access to the magic of the ancients. Elsa drank in the knowledge like a sponge, this was everything she had ever needed and more, and in some dark recess of her mind she _knew_ every word of this to be true, as if her magic was somehow imparting the knowledge directly into her memory. Unbeknownst to Elsa another was watching her lesson however, also drinking in the figures words, and silently following his motions with their hands. The figure waited until the lesson concluded and the meditation had begun before ducking inside the Lab out of sight. The cloaked individual headed straight for the large leather bag on the side and fumbled with the clasp briefly before opening it with a click. They reached inside and rummaged about before retrieving the only apparent contents, a blazing red pearl clasped in a gold heart on a chain, and a thick leather book. They turned the bag upside down and gave it a good solid shake before abandoning the idea and replacing it in its correct location.

A small pair of cute black eyes, and twitchy whiskers watched the cloaked intruder leave before nonchalantly hopping out into the garden towards her master.

The morning's lesson had been exhilarating for Elsa and she all but skipped out of the lab, determined to practice more of the magical practice she had just learned but oblivious to her masters wan smile following her. He held the small animal to his ear, and his smile grew wider, before he turned on his heel and left the garden.

Elsa always wondered where the magician went of an afternoon after her lessons, but right now she was too excited to find out.

\-----------

The sounds of Arendelle's marketplace filled the air, the common folk bustling about performing the last of their afternoon shopping, many of the fresh food stalls already closed down for the day. Children running about shouting and playing and the sounds of music drifting across the square from the taverns and eateries. A canny observer would note an unusual number of citizens making their way to a small stand in the corner of the market, unlabelled and with very little on display, that nonetheless seemed to be doing a brisk albeit quiet trade.

The unusual stand seemed to attract far more than its fair share of customers of the female persuasion, with many of the customers stopping to chat with the stall owner, his face mostly hidden by a concealing hood, but his tan hair slipping out from beneath his cloak and his deft gloved hands pulling item after item from a large leather bag at his side. Potions and tinctures for all manner of ailments, preventatives and salves of all varieties. By the evening trade had halted, even to the strange little stall, and the magician packed away his bag of secrets before heading across the square to the bustling tavern, adjusting his clothes as he went. By the time he had reached the tavern his posture had changed, his cloak was reversed, its underside a brilliant red, and he had a lute slung across his back and a daft grin on his face. He entered the tavern boot first through the door with a booming greeting.

“My Friends! My Friends! Gather round, for I have come to tell you a tale or six. Tales of wonder and magic, history from near and far!”

Claps, hollers and shouts of joy met the pronouncement and the Magician grinned and swept into the tavern.

The Fish and Bowl was a classic tavern, a huge central common room filled with tables and not one, but two hearths, a small stage and a bar. It served hot food, usually broth and soup, and beer, usually cheap and strong. It was jam packed this evening, as it had been every evening for about the last month since the enigmatic storyteller had first arrived with a huge number of riveting stories, some completely unknown in Arendelle but most old favourites.

“My friends, let me tell you a tale, a story from a time before man ruled the earth, a tale from before the ice giants were vanquished and the lands of the north became as they are now.” He tuned his lute and gave a broad grin to the room before giving it a quiet strum for emphasis. The tale he told was ancient in origin, a tale of love and betrayal, for beautiful freya engendered both in equal measure. The audience listened in enraptured awe as he wove the story with expert skill, capturing the tense moments of fear, the feelings of betrayal at being forced into marriage, and the loss at love beyond reach. Many in the audience wept openly by the end of the tale, and the tavern once again exploded into rapturous applause. Only one figure remained unmoved, his face and expensive brocade hidden behind a large cloak, his Ducal signet ring the only clue to his true identity and his face twisted into a sneer of hatred.

\-----------

Elsa’s perspective was different, as she sat at the head of the council table, watching herself ride a cloud white stallion with giant flowing wings past the faceless forms of a bunch of stuffy old power hungry bureaucrats and schemers. She could see herself, blazing with power, a veritable angel with perfect features and impossibly beautiful eyes, so noble and regal in her bearing as she rode up alongside, offering her hand down like every handsome prince in every story ever written. Anna’s hand reached for her, and Elsa felt a powerful longing in her deepest regions, arousal like she had seldom felt before, and a giddy sense of falling in love all over again. Her perspective shifted again as their hands met and now she was upon the horse, looking down at Anna, feeling at once in her life as the true queen of Arendelle. Anna pulled her softly down from the horse and Elsa smiled as she felt their lips crash together, their tongues dancing in a hungry mess, each eager to taste the other and get closer than possible. Faint murmurs of anger reached her ears, the images of men standing, shouting. Anna dismissed them with a wave and a command and they faded. “Buzz off! My Dream, My Elsa. Git! GO! ‘Knows I see enough of you lot during the day.” Their lips met again as the scene changed to the inside of Anna’s bedchambers, their moaning desire for one another overriding all other concerns as they roamed their hands across each other, each questing to learn every bump and fold, every peak and soft valley, of the other. Anna mercilessly stripped elsa, her spare hand wantonly kneading her sister's breasts and nipples as the scraps of dream fabric came cleanly away. “Mine” Anna breathed softly as she bit into Elsa’s neck, one hand trailing down her sisters porcelain stomach, rounding her navel and teasing, just teasing at the edges of her mound.

“Mine..?” she asked again, tapping Elsa’s mound gently with a finger, stroking along her pelvic bone and trailing a finger to rest along her big sister’s thigh.

“Yours” Elsa sighed, her emotions overruling any other thought. Her desire had seized her utterly and she wanted nothing more at this moment. Anna planted a soft trail of kisses down Elsa’s body, stopping briefly at her left breast to let her delicate mouth tease Elsa’s flawless nipple, before moving down her body. She took a short circuit around Elsa’s navel, her fingers continuing to tease and stroke Elsa’s thighs and eliciting gasps from her eager sibling. Elsa let out a piteous moan as anna decided at the crest of the mountain to begin trailing northward again, electing to draw the pleasure out, as she encaptured elsa’s right breast in her mouth, before moving up for a kiss. The kiss was brief and wanting before Anna broke it off, vanishing between Elsa’s legs with lightning speed, her tongue and lips gently questing. The sensation was jolting, electric passion and the culmination of repressed desires, and the queen of Arendelle felt herself becoming undone with frightening speed. She glanced down, the image of Anna kneeling by the side of the bed, her face buried between Elsa;s legs, her mouth making sounds of need and want. Elsa could see the motion of Anna;s fingers working between her own legs with a frenzied pace. “Loo-look at me” elsa managed to gasp out, and Anna gazed up at her, eyes filled with love and lust. Elsa’s release was spectacular, perhaps all the more so for it coinciding with Anna’s as motes of magical energy shot across the room, exploding into fireworks and light as the dream faded.

Elsa awoke with a start, her body aching and trembling with the after-effects of the orgasmic dream. She felt elated, whole and pure, for a brief shining moment. The ugly thoughts began swarming, hard and fast. _Dirty _. _Unclean_. _Sinful_. _Taboo_. _Monster_. _Evil_. Even as they threatened to completely overturn her, Elsa felt a sliver of control. She stepped back in her mind, away from the tide. Calling on as much of her magical training as she could, she watched the swathe of emotions come crashing in, and tried to simply let them by. It was far from a complete success, but she felt better for the effort, and as she lay in the darkness, watching the tide wash out, she thought to look inside her past, to where they had come from. She was unsurprised at the answer.__

____

\-----------

_“But when will I have breasts of my own?”_

_“Later dear, when you are older, perhaps 13 or so.”_

_“But i want them now!”_

_“Why on earth would you want that? You are only 11.”_

_“Because then I’ll be old enough to play with Katya's, and do other fun things too.”_

That had been the last Elsa had ever seen of the attractive young maid that her mother had assigned to her care, indeed it had been the last attractive young maid elsa had ever seen in her entire life. Naturally she was forbidden from ever saying, or thinking, such things ever ever again. It had only been the start of such lessons on the nature of Unclean, and Sinful. 

\-----------

Elsa had managed to avoid the Duke for almost a week, not a bad record for a castle of its size, but it was destined not to last. To make a sad scenario worse, the brusque contact came in the form of a near collision, allowing the lecherous noble to get disturbingly close. He was in a more presentable state than in their last interaction, but that hardly made the situation tolerable. 

“Ahh, your royal Majesty, what an unexpected pleasure.” He sneered, his tone betraying his smiling face. “Have you perhaps given any further thoughts to our last conversation? I know in your heart you are a _benevolent_ and _sympathetic_ ruler.”  
Elsa physically recoiled several paces, desperately calling on her training to avoid the emotional storm and maintain some control. Fury, Fear and Horror all coming together, Elsa felt her gorge rise and her head became faint. Elsa lashed out. 

“I will never marry you Eyjolf. Not today, not next week, never. I would sooner die than submit myself to you, but I would rather kill you myself.” Elsa’s eyes flashed with the promise of danger. 

“Ahh but you won’t your Majesty, We both know that your beloved sister wouldn’t want you to become a murderer and a tyrant, why she would have to sign your death warrant herself if you did such a thing.” His eyes were malicious and his expression triumphant. “Additionally, As I am sure you have no doubt surmised by now there would be… repercussions. Innocent lives lost, that sort of thing, were anything to happen to me.” 

The Duke slid his fingers across the queen of Arendelle's bicep, causing Elsa to shudder involuntarily. _Only one person can touch me, and it isn’t you._ Elsa wanted to scream, but composed herself and simply took a step back. 

“I shall regain my throne without your assistance Eyjolf, and whatever…” Elsa gestured vaguely “This is. Shall not go forgotten. If you take me for easy prey I will happily disappoint you” Elsa hissed. 

“No. You won’t. I have planned this too long, and your options are gone, I saw to that. Shame I had to wait until your coronation, you would have been much more of a delicate flower if I had been able to pluck you right away after your parents left you to me.” 

Elsa felt so sickened she simply fled, one hand clutched to her mouth as the duke laughed deep and hard, the mocking sound echoing down the halls after her. 

\----------- 

Elsa stalked through the library, her emotions a whirl, anger, frustration and, as she was only just beginning to admit to herself, a sensation that could only be described as vitriolic hate. The Duke of Almdlir had been utterly infuriating, none of her plans to improve Arendelle could succeed without his support and he knew it and the way he had shamelessly looked at her. Worse still the man held the future of the crown at stake. Elsa shuddered involuntarily. She had taken to pacing the outer section of the deserted library, a faint icy wind and noticeable drop in temperature following her as she repeated the new mantra in her head. “Feel, watch, let go. Feel the emotions come, watch them rest, let them go”. She had mostly regained her composure after her second circuit of the library having successfully managed to imagine her anger as a large stuffy badger drinking from a stream when something caught her eye. A section of one of the wooden pillars between the shelves had come away from the wall slightly, the changing temperature clearly having had some effect on it. _Damn! I was so angry I didn't stop to think what effect ice might have had on the books. I hope I didn't damage anything._ Elsa moved to the damaged pillar to get a better look at the damage _I’m going to need an idea for an excuse, maybe it won't be obvious I broke it. Oh!_ There was something hidden inside the pillar, inside a space obviously designed to hide things. Old castles were usually filled with secrets, but this one was wildly unknown to Elsa. _Well I suppose I did spend most of my life in my rooms._

The dark musty space contained a brown leather bound book, its cover faded with age and clearly considerable use, the corners capped with tarnished and slightly bent bronze caps. The spine read “The Rose Gardeners Guide” in elegant but unassuming lettering. There was absolutely nothing else in the very secret space. Why in the world would someone go to all this trouble to hide a book on gardening? Elsa casually opened the book automatically scanning for the dry and dull text about flower beds and seasons. The pages were ancient and yellowing, perhaps even older than the cover and almost the texture of leaves, and the book had a strange faintly musty scent that was familiar and alien all at once. Elsa’s eyes expanded to the size of the moon as she took in the scene on the ancient parchment before her. Two exquisitely beautiful women were engaged in some form of congress, stark naked and grinding against one another. The word Tribadism was written in an elegant font above the image, and along the leftmost page was a section of text that went completely ignored. Elsa was not prepared for the waves of arousal that pricked her instantly. Her mouth ran wet, her breasts suddenly became very apparent to her and heat rushed down between her legs. _OH MY GOD_

__

__

__In a daze elsa turned the page with a trembling hand as was immediately greeted with another excellently drawn image of a different pair of beauties in another position, this one labelled congress of a crow, as they laid about, their faces clearly engaged in one another's very intimate parts. She snapped the book shut, pale as a sheet and trembling. No-one could ever see this, this was wrong and dangerous. Luckily she knew the perfect hiding place in her old room which she was 100% certain no-one knew about, as she had made it herself over her long years of confinement. She carefully replaced the wood panel, popping it back into place as though nothing had ever happened and fled the scene of the crime, trying desperately to calm herself. She would need several more buckets of icy water._ _

__\-----------_ _

__The Ice Queen of Arendelle's mood was unreadable when Lieutenant Duff carefully approached the queen trying to get her attention, pondering just how he had managed to get saddled with this sort of job. She seemed completely disconnected, her chin on her hand staring out of the window, a light smile on her face and a single finger tracing circles on her bare knee. The young man gulped and did his best to avert his gaze but it was rather hard to do, given the Queen's current choice of attire. She had clearly changed outfit again at some point throughout the day as her current gown was more suited to a sultry ball than everyday wear, with a plunging V neck, a double slit currently revealing a truly scandalous amount of leg, and high peaked shoulders and a giant Vizier collar dragging attention to her gorgeous cheekbones and collar._ _

“Y-y-y-your Majesty..?” Duff chanced a slight wave in the Queens eyeline and she reacted with a start, a faint blush shooting across her cheeks and the top of her brea- _Nononononoooo. Don’t look, don’t look, don’t look._. Duff shut his eyes and took two steps backwards. He had heard stories about what happened to staff members caught ogling royalty, and whilst Elsa’s reputation was immaculately benevolent he had no desire to chance it. He steadied his breathing. 

__“What is it Guardsman? Hmm, Duff isn’t it? You are one of Anna’s friends?”_ _

__Duffs brain short circuited again, for the second time in as many seconds as he struggled to process the concept of being considered as “Friends” to the princess. He supposed he had been asked to help her out of a few scrapes in the past, and had perhaps hidden one or two of her more embarrassing mistakes. And he WAS the person she came to when she had something like the events of a couple of nights ago planned. Duff had a reputation for being one of the worst royal guards in Arendelle's service as a result, but strangely his pay or advancement had never actually suffered._ _

__“Uhh. Perhaps Ma’am? I’m just a guard, your Majesty.”_ _

__“Well what did you need then, Guardsman Duff?”_ _

__“Yes, right. Uh. The Baroness Havriggar approaches the castle, her Carriage will arrive within the hour, you Majesty.”_ _

__This, caused Elsa pause. Whilst nobles came and went from the castle all the time, usually every few days even, there was a protocol to this kind of thing. Letters were sent ahead, stays scheduled, meetings planned. Even someone as minor as a Countess required introducing when she arrived, a set of chambers prepared and food provided, minor gifts and all the frivolities of nobility. In all of her time as Queen of Arendelle she had never had a member of her nobility simply show up unannounced, not since… not since the last unexpected Havriggar visit almost four years ago now. Elsa’s mind went dark and bleak, washes of residual grief still crawling across her heart. Today was rapidly turning out to be a terrible day, even by the tumultuous standards of late. Tears began to escape Elsa’s composure, and the young Lieutenant looked utterly terrified._ _

__“Your Majesty. What? Wh-”_ _

__“It’s nothing” Elsa cut him off with a watery smile, and she squinted at the young man’s uniform briefly, “Lieutenant, would you be kind enough to alert Kai and the head butler to the Baroness’ arrival, I shall meet her in the receiving hall”. Duff saluted and hastily made away to the more central areas of the castle as Elsa sighed and checked her appearance in the reflection of the window. _This dress is hardly appropriate. What in the world was I thinking when I made this._. Elsa had, after all, most definitely NOT been thinking about another date with Anna when she had made the dress, at least that is what she kept telling herself. Now satisfied that she had modified the dress to be a touch less scandalous, Elsa sashayed off towards the entrance hall, already composing a formal royal greeting._ _

__It had been just shy of an hour when the Carriage belonging to the Baroness Havriggar arrived at the castle, disgorging its regal looking occupant into the courtyard._ _

__“Her most Noble Countess, Ygritte Havrigarr, Foremost Lady of Arendelle Township.”_ _

__The head footmen announced and there was a small trumpet fanfare from two pages. Elsa welcomed the Baroness into the Castle warmly, if a little stiffly. She had little direct experience with the woman, by all accounts she preferred to remain in their family estates and seldom followed her husband anywhere except to major events such as Coronations and Large Balls. Ygritte was an older woman, clearly in her 50’s, pencil thin and with greyed out blonde hair. Her face was harried and filled with with concern, and she carried a small Hat Box in a death grip. Her eyes filled with sorrow as she looked at Elsa, glancing behind her to where her husband stood a deferential distance back from the monarch._ _

__“Welcome to Castle Arendelle Baroness, Had I greater word of your arrival a more suitable greeting could have been arranged, but you are welcome none the less.” Elsa smiled warmly at the woman in front of her._ _

__“Your Majesty. I beg your forgiveness for the... suddenness… of my arrival, but something” Her fingers gripped the box she was carrying tighter “Well, let's just say that I was compelled to visit.” Her tone was quiet, and Elsa was certain that she was trying to avoid being overheard. “May I be permitted to speak with my husband? It is a matter of privacy, between Husband and Wife.”_ _

__“Of course. It must be of great significance to warrant such haste. If there is anything I can do to help, please do not hesitate.” Elsa shot Havriggar a meaningful look._ _

__The baroness smiled a brittle smile, before excusing herself and leading her husband away into a private room. Elsa was barely out of the hall before a servant caught up to her and redirected her back into the antechamber where the Havriggars were sitting. Elsa was shocked by the sight in the small private room. The baroness was sat in a chair, faint tears running down her face, with her husband slumped at her feet, his face buried in her lap bawling like an infant. The hat box lay discarded to one side, a lock of dark brown hair spilling from its contents. Even from here Elsa could see that it was flecked with blood. Elsa secured the door behind herself, and bid the guards give them the maximum privacy before sitting heavily in a chair. The room slowly slipped into a subdued silence, broken only by the muffled sobs of the Baron._ _

__After a near minute the baroness broke the silence._ _

__“Havie tells me that you know.” Ygritte gestured to what was unmistakably a chunk of scalp in the box. Elsa swallowed thickly, feeling faintly nauseous._ _

__“He mentioned… a Kidnapping” Elsa played, cagily, not wanting to embarrass the man further in front of his wife. Ygritte nodded._ _

__“Hanna is her name, lovely girl, my Havie couldn’t have picked a better mistress. Discrete, sensible and so very much in love. I would have picked her myself in a heartbeat, but this silly goose thought he could hide her from me.” She smiled softly as she stroked her husband's hair lovingly. “I found her out within a week. Within two we had our schedules aligned, and within three our alibi’s were firmly established.” She sighed heavily, before continuing, ignoring the look of complete shock and incomprehension of Elsa’s face. “It was an enchantingly pleasant six years, there was complete bliss in the manor for a time. Then… then your parents.” Ygritte looked pained, and apologetic, before continuing. “Eyjolf started making power plays not long after, but I’m sure you know that by now dear. A month ago Hanna vanished and Havie became distraught, under better circumstances I would have enjoyed teasing him about trying to keep secrets from me.”_ _

__Havriggar wailed an apology from her lap, his words a near incomprehensible mess, as his wife lovingly shushed him and hugged him closer. She gestured at the box._ _

__“Proof she still lives, and a warning. The Duke is planning on hosting a vote at the midsummer Diet and needs our vote. I am sure you can guess what he plans to achieve with a unanimous vote?”_ _

__Elsa’s blood ran cold._ _

__“He… He can’t can he? How can he force me to marry?” The young monarch's face was of pure revulsion._ _

__“Its an old provision dear, never been used. Written in to allow the council to marry off a princess to avoid war if the king was being stubborn. It was never intended to be used, and to think of it perverted for this manner.” The baroness shuddered._ _

__“What can we do?” Elsa looked miserable. “I… I can’t let someone die for me, just to avoid marrying someone.”_ _

__The baroness’ face flooded with warmth._ _

__“There's your mother. I knew she was in there somewhere. All compassion and self sacrifice.” the older woman patted Elsa’s hand in a motherly fashion. “It won’t come to that. My agents have found where she likely is. Not that I can do anything about it of course. Moving against the duke would be treason, and we haven’t the proof needed yet. And so I bring this to you your Majesty. You want out from under his thumb, and so do we.” Anger and Strife began to creep into the baroness’ tone, and her voice hardened. “I am loyal to the crown of Arendelle, Loyal to the death if need be, and I hate what Eyjolf has made of us. He… He made Havie a traitor.” She spat the word. “Took his best quality and made him a villain. I hate that bastard for that. But my agents are not enough here. I need your help.”_ _

__“I forgive you. No… more than that, I Pardon you. Formally, if necessary. Neither of you are traitors in my eyes, you were placed in an impossible situation, and although I would have liked more warning…” Elsa’s emotions were a swell as she looked on the scene before her, and although she did not understand their situation exactly, she could see that Ygritte cared for her husband a great deal. Her nonchalance about his mistress was utterly puzzling, but largely irrelevant to the problem at hand. She now had allies, and potentially critical information.  
“I thank you for bringing me this information baroness, although I confess, short of the royal guard or perhaps the marshall, I lack any agents with the kinds of skills required for this kind of task.”_ _

__“Then my dear, you had better find one, for all of our sakes. But most of all for poor Hanna, she did nothing to deserve all of this. Nothing but fall in love with a great man, who I could not.” The Baroness looked down at her husband with obvious fondness and Elsa felt a sudden, powerful kinship with this woman._ _


	5. Fertilizer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for how long this chapter took to write. There was a lot of research to do and many of the scenes took a lot longer than usual to write. I'm quite unhappy with a couple still but have opted to just keep the story rolling forwards rather then spend eternity editing.

The scullery turned laboratory was busier than usual when Elsa arrived that morning, her signature ice dress was more conservative than it had been in days, with long sleeves a high necked bodice and a full skirt in the traditional style. A small sword of pure ice lay across the back of her bustle giving her the look of a woman who was not to be trifled with. The resemblance to Anna’s recent wardrobe choices was not lost on the staff who gave her a respectful and clear distance.

A small number of porters were busy moving bales of hay into the laboratory, stacking them neatly in a corner, whilst several of the slightly more senior members of staff were deep in some kind of conversation with the Magician, exchanging paperwork and having a quiet discussion. Looking around Elsa could see that several other things in the lab had changed as well, gone was the tanning rack and cloak, as well as most of the strange glassware and in their place were dozens of low baths filled with cloth and some kind of fluid. One wall of the lab was filled with a strange web like design of multicoloured string with pieces of paper dangling from it, surrounding a large pin board with several star constellations pinned to it. The whole scene made little sense to the queen, but then few of the things the Magician did, or had her do, made much sense. The small huddle of her staff noticed Elsa standing in one of the doorways and they rapidly concluded their small meeting and made to leave. Elsa recognised her master of the treasury Alsace, her royal architect, an elderly german man known as Master Henrik and Lord Dunlain her Marshall each bearing an increasingly confused set of expressions. Elsa coughed politely at Lord Dunlain and indicated that he should stay, before clearing the room.

“Gentlemen” Elsa’s voice sounded calm but poised for action “We have a situation to discuss and it applies to both of your area’s of expertise, or at least I hope so.”

The giant of a man Lord Dunlain bowed briefly, his expression changing to one of professional interest.

“Ah, something to do with the north tower I presume?” He looked curious, but was hiding it as best he could. Elsa’s expression creased with puzzlement as she looked at the two men before her, the magician shaking his head almost imperceptibly as if to discourage any further inquiries.

“No. Nothing to do with that, it concerns a kidnapping. I need someone rescuing, strictly confidentially, from a heavily guarded manor, with no witnesses.”

A knowing smile was plastered on the Magician’s face and he was subtly nodding as if to encourage her. Lord Dunlain however was doing his best to look grave and serious whilst containing his clear excitement over the prospect of real battle in the near future. Queen Elsa filled the two men in on the details of the poor innocent girl currently trapped far from Castle Arendelle and to her surprise her marshall actually flinched when she mentioned Eyjolf Almdlir’s name as the man responsible.

“It’s going to be very heavily guarded then your Majesty. The Duke possesses a significant army, indeed he is most of the realms conventional defence. Are we certain the location is correct?”

The Magician cleared his throat quietly before interjecting.

“If we have anything of hers I can guarantee her location with magic. It would have to be a part of her, fingernails, hair, toenails that sort of thing.”

Elsa’s expression turned grim.

“That won’t be an issue to get. The Duke felt it necessary to send evidence of her still being alive.”

Dunlain was scratching his neatly trimmed beard with a giant meaty hand, looking thoughtful.

“There is still the issue of the forces arrayed against us Majesty. We cannot be seen to be involved, nor can we simply wipe them out using your formidable magic.”

“Bandits”

Everyone turned to look at the Magician. A broad grin stretched across his face.

“A great man once built an army entirely out of pardoned criminals, trained to be the most elite fighting force in his kingdom. If they survived a tour of duty then they earned a reprieve from the noose. I believe we can use a similar tactic with our bandit problem.”

He moved over to a table near the giant web of string, the Queen and Marshall following closely, curiosity written across their faces. The Magician fished a wanted poster and a small page of vellum from a pile of papers.

“Harald the Wolf.” He brandished the wanted poster. “Leader of the Ice Wolves. The Largest organised group of bandits in Arendelle. Currently operating in northern Arendelle, they are keeping their efforts mostly to looting food and robbing merchants, but they have a large force of men under arms, and no public affiliation.”

Dunlain snorted.

“Not publically no.” he muttered darkly. “But they never attack the Dukes holdings or wagons. Common story is that they fear the dukes armies moving against them.”

Elsa, her skin normally a rose alabaster, went even more pale. She looked crestfallen. Many of her briefings about the bandit problem came in sharp focus, unasked questions suddenly answered.

“You believe that the Duke has them working for him?” She asked, her question was neatly answered by her royal astrologer.

“Not willingly.” He looked smug. “Harald was a blacksmith before he became a bandit, he had a young daughter. She hasn’t been seen since his forge burned down a year back. Word in the seediest taverns is that he drinks in her name every evening and if he gets drunk enough he talks about getting her back. I think our mutual friend has leverage over him.”

Lord Dunlain looked animated. “You think he has this Bandit Lords daughter? It would explain much.”

“It fits his repellant personality.” Elsa agreed. “Is this whole Crisis just part of his ridiculous scheme to bed me?” She sighed. “How did you even find this out?”

The Magician shrugged. “People talk, especially to a Skald who is willing to buy drinks. It’s a hobby of mine. Regardless we have something to be getting on with, I can guarantee the location of the young lass the queen wants to rescue and we can send the Royal Huntsman Bjorgar out to scout the location with a small group of hunters.”

Dunlain nodded cheerfully. “I suspect that he will be keeping his prisoners together, it’s less likely to arouse suspicion, and easier to hide one location rather than two. Once we know if he has the Wolf Lords daughter we can plan a rescue, whilst keeping the house under surveillance.” 

“I can handle extracting the prisoners if we can organise a diversion your Majesty, A promise of a pardon and service to the crown would go a long way to helping us. And I might need to borrow the services of Cloud for an eve.”

Elsa rankled at the idea of pardoning murderers and brigands but the plan did have a lot of attractive qualities. “Can you guarantee success Magician?” She asked, her expression hopeful.

“There are no guarantees in anything in life Majesty, however this isn’t my first rescue mission. We would have the element of surprise at least three times over, so I would say our chances of success are great. I am happy to put my life on the line to rescue an innocent girl.”

“Then we are committed.” Elsa looked at her two allies, hope suffusing her entire being, The Magician standing confident a lopsided grin plastered on his travel worn elfin face, and Lord Dunlain chest almost bursting with pride and renewed vigor. They firmed up the last few details of the plan, Elsa signing a few hastily drawn up documents, before heading in their separate directions. Elsa was starving, She needed a good hearty meal.

\-----------

The next few days passed in a flurry of activity, both Anna and Elsa finding themselves drowned in paperwork and dozens of tiny requests from all directions. Castle Arendelle began to awake from a deep slumber, the wheels of government starting to turn after nearly four years of slumber. Elsa had filled Anna in on the plan during a lunch meeting and was delighted by her enthusiastic response, her younger sister had squealed with delight upon hearing that they had a rescue planned for the hostages and had peppered Elsa’s face with kisses. Anna had stolen several kisses dangerously close to Elsa’s lips, leaving the elder sister tingling with excitement and deeply flushed.

Now Elsa found herself drifting through the halls of the castle in search of some peace and quiet, if only for a few hours, some respite at least from the interminable lists of things to read and sign. Her magical lessons had ceased, at least for two days, whilst The Magician went north to attempt to contact the bandit lord, armed with a conditional royal pardon. She was wandering through some of the halls near the northern end of the castle, an area mostly dominated by the servants quarters and kitchens, and so a rather empty locale in the middle of the day provided she avoided the bustling kitchen area proper. She had strolled up to the upper galleries and was walking towards the north tower, an area normally all but empty, holding the castle portrait galleries, a solarium and other similar lesure rooms. This area was as silent as the grave outside of grand balls or other similar collections of nobility seeking a good time and since the majority of her council had since excused themselves the castle was now mostly empty, her collection of venal cowards mostly returned to their private estates and their interminable plotting.

It was this collection of truths that gave Queen Elsa such pause when she noticed the retreating backs of several of her counts walking away from the stairs to the solarium, the three men deep in some private conversation. To further add to Elsa’s confusion there was a large knot of footmen, servants and porters clustered around the rooms before her, all lifting and carrying large objects. They appeared to be moving furniture, paintings and sculptures, mostly out of the rooms and onto large trolleys and small carts. Elsa frowned. _Lord Dunlain asked about the north tower. Now… this?_

“Gentlemen! Perhaps someone can remind me what is going on in my own castle?”

Elsa’s piercing icy eyes raked across the servants, her air of immaculate authority coming as naturally as breathing. Her head footman drifted over, after motioning for the other servants to continue. Elsa was never quite as familiar with the names of the middle section of her staff as she should be and this particular man’s name eluded her completely, although his slightly horse like features and chalk powdered wig were warmly familiar.

“Your Majesty, we are engaged in the remodeling process of the north tower, as per your sisters instructions, and those of yourself and the royal astrologer of course. I can get you the papers you signed earlier if you would like? Certainly Count Vigo needed to be shown them to persuade him to leave the solarium so that we could empty it.”

His voice was a disconcerting near breathy whisper, indeed in all the time Elsa had known him she had never heard him raise his voice above a normal volume. Elsa rubbed her fingers to her temples and concentrated, images of decree after decree she had signed earlier that day floating across her mind. She did recall something about some renovations, although she could have sworn they were all to do with the road networks. She resolved to ask Anna about it at a later date, clearly her Queen Regent had decided to install a sauna or some manner of entertainment, perhaps a heated bath under the stars. Elsa’s mind hummed with slightly amused pleasure thinking about Anna in such terms, her co-ruler, her assistant, her person in charge of reminding Elsa to have fun occasionally, her nighttime lo-

 

_No. NO. Stop that. None of that. My sister, MY SISTER. Not my lover. Never my lover. Never. That isn’t what she wants, you’re just being ill again. Unclean. Sinful._

 

Elsa felt her heart break a tiny bit at the thought.

\-----------

Breakfast some mornings later had come with several welcome surprises for Elsa, the first was that the mission to conscript Harald the Wolf had been a complete success, he had apparently shed tears at the notion of being able to rescue his daughter as well as receive a pardon and had promptly pledged his complete loyalty to Queen Elsa. The second welcome surprise was that Anna had announced that they would be going on another date later that day, and that her older sister should ensure she was well prepared for being able to move about. Elsa had spent most of her morning lessons, now resumed, pondering exactly what Anna had meant by that, and was more than a little bit distracted. Luckily this morning had been largely devoted to more history and lore, mostly concerning the Aesir, Vanir and the Jotuns and their many and varied conflicts and resultant bloodlines. Elsa had spent the entire lesson studiously taking notes, whilst her imagination freewheeled. She was eventually caught out after meticulously transcribing one side of a conversation asking her if she was ready for her meditations, or if she needed to talk about something.

 

_If you are reading what you are writing look up, or are you completely away in fantasy land… what?_

 

Elsa looked up blearily, her mentor sitting on the small lectern table in the garden smiling at her obvious confusion. They had had to move under the covered walkway area due to a light morning shower, but the temperature outside was still tolerable especially with a small brazier nearby cheerfully lending some heat to the early summer morning.

“You have been out of sorts all morning. What is on your mind Majesty?”

“I am wondering...” Elsa paused and gazed across the garden, the light spray of summer rain coating the shrubs and flowers with glittering pearls of water. She thought long, and started again. “I shouldn’t be Queen” Elsa’s voice was quiet and her pronouncement shocked her slightly, she hadn't really realized she had been thinking that.

“What makes you say such a thing Elsa? What is the core of your pain?” The sudden warmth and familiarity in his voice broke some of Elsa’s composure, her mentor sounding almost fatherly, a reassuring presence in a world which seemed against her.

“I want… I want to be selfish. There are things I want that I can’t have. Being Queen is suffocating. I must marry for a position, for everyone's benefit, but not for love.”

“It doesn’t benefit the people of Arendelle for you to marry for love? There are no upsides to you having a true companion by your side, one who loves the people as much as you do, who you trust with all your heart?” He knelt next to Elsa, softly placing a hand over hers. “If you marry for love then what fear have you of having your throne stolen, or your kingdom usurped?” Elsa sighed heavily.

“Your words make sense as usual, but… it still cannot be. It just can’t. Perhaps I should marry a handsome prince after all, be a good little Queen and produce an heir.” The Queen’s face was a picture of misery.

“What event caused you to start thinking this way hmm? What happened to the invincible Ice Queen with the flying horse and giant ice warrior of yesterday?”

“Will I ever be able to go on a date, just because I want to, without worrying about the consequences?” She asked, her voice low and heavy with shame.

“You can if you want to. It won’t be easy your Majesty, but you certainly could.”

“But should I?” Elsa found tears brimming in her eyes.

“Should you fight for True Love? Is that even a question?” The Magicians face radiated warmth and love. Elsa found her answer in that moment.

“What should I wear if someone suggests needing to dress for mobility?”

The Magician laughed loudly, his composure cracking.

“May I suggest pantaloons?” They laughed together, the tension breaking just as the weather cleared and a rainbow graced the sky.

\-----------

Elsa was nervous. She had spent almost an entire hour selecting a costume for her date, having had to go out to acquire some fitted pantaloons and a fitted silk blouse, with a brown supple leather brassiere over the top. She had uhm’ed and ahh’ed about her outfit in front of the mirror for some time, trying to work out if it was scandalous or conservative, too much or too little. The real truth behind her nerves however was… more complicated. One of the apparent downsides to her magical training was that she had become much more aware of the stray thoughts at the back of her mind, as well as the more fundamental movements of her subconscious. This gave her quite a bit more resilience towards her sudden emotional outbursts, however it had made it profoundly harder for her to lie to herself. And right now, she was trying very hard to lie to herself.

 

_This is just a sisterly afternoon of fun and frolics. There is no further meaning to it, we just want to get to know each other after years of being apart. That is all. I don’t care if Anna finds me fetching in this outfit, and I absolutely will not flirt with her._

 

Elsa adjusted her leather corset one last time, before heading over to her makeup table and selecting Anna’s favourite red for her lips. An uncertain young woman looked back at her from the mirror.

 _Now why don’t I believe myself?_ The last thought rolled around in her mind, haunting her steps.

\-----------

It was fair to say that Elsa had no clue what to expect from this mystery afternoon, but if she had been asked to guess she might have guessed at horse riding, dancing or perhaps even fencing at an outside push. As she had arrived in the throne room however she had been almost startled to see Anna standing there deep in conversation with one of the palace cooks. Elsa had secretly been thrilled with the way Anna’s eyes had widened and taken in her somewhat scandalous figure, the cut of her clothing being almost obscene amongst the more conservative members of high society. Their afternoon together had begun, perhaps predictably, with one of Anna’s favourite things. Chocolate.

The two sisters had spent a hugely pleasant hour in the palace kitchens making chocolate cookies and chocolate chip lebkuchen together. It was a messy, flour covered experience and Elsa had laughed harder than she had in weeks At one point they had dissolved into giggling and chasing each other around the kitchen with flour covered hands. Still, despite the constant interruptions and distractions the cookies were made and placed into the ovens to be eaten some hours later.

Part two of the afternoon involved the ballroom. And snow apparently, as Anna stood before Elsa insisting she use her powers to fill the ballroom with powdered snow. Elsa hesitated at first, the obvious parallels dredging up awful memories, but Anna had swiftly captured her hands murmuring soft calming words, before giving her an enthusiastic encouragement, and before long they were sprinting across the ballroom pelting each other with snowballs and diving behind the large pillars of snow, peals of laughter echoing off the walls.

A relaxed meal discussing their favourite books followed by fresh cookies and lebkuchen almost rounded off a wonderful evening. Elsa felt relaxed and at peace, for once her desires towards Anna were calmed. Their day had been one of purely platonic fun and discovery, where they had talked about each others likes and interests, about their hobbies and had studiously avoided talking about the future or current events. Elsa was wondering exactly what they were going to do next, standing as she was in one of the long halls near the main entrance when an insistent ringing noise announced the arrival of her sister with a pair of bicycles.

 _This is a terrible idea_ Elsa thought, but nonetheless she couldn’t refuse those adorable puppy dog eyes, and before she knew it they were pelting around the halls being half chased by exasperated servants and an increasingly flustered Kai. After a good solid fifteen minutes of causing mayhem they finally abandoned their trusty steeds in a closet before heading up towards their chambers. They sat, in Anna’s room for a change, the fire crackling merrily in the hearth, the two sisters wrapped in a blanket on the red and yellow bed, just gently exulting in each others company. Elsa broke the silence first.

“I enjoyed myself today.”

“Yeah, Me too.” Anna seemed subdued. Happy, but not her usual self.

“Anna, is something wrong?” Elsa worried for a moment, it whatever was the issue must have been serious to get through Anna’s usually irrepressable personality.Anna sighed a heavy sigh, the sound alien on her lips.

“Its this… mission, thing. I…” Anna looked faintly distraught. “I signed the orders today. People are going to die because of a piece of paper I signed.”

Elsa hugged Anna tighter.

“But, some people are going to live as a result Anna. A little girl could get rescued, we have to try.”

“I know that Elsa. I do. Its just… theres a good chance that some of the people who are going out aren’t ever going to come back, and that would be my fault.” Anna started sniffling.

“They all volunteered.” Elsa offered up rather weakly, already knowing that it wouldn’t make any difference. Anna started sobbing quietly.

“Stay with me?”

No more words were exchanged that evening, although sleep was a long time coming for either Queen.

\-----------

The Manor was a traditional Arendelle noble dwelling in the viking style, halfway between an expensive house and a castle, similar to the Chateaus of the warmer lands to the south. Built in dark local stone and Heavy wooden stave roofs with dragon mouths decorating the eaves. The formidable structure was well lit in the cool summer night, but still dark and imposing, the low curtain wall obscuring the first floor and well tended gardens filling the night with heavy scents. The only thing unusual about this noble manor was the slightly larger number of guards on patrol outside of the building, as well as the solid group of soldiers leaning at the main gates. The coarse language and laughter of the bored soldiers drifted out into the night, reaching the ears of the small group of armed men in dark green and brown hues, their recurve hunting bows the only clue to their profession. Their vantage on the hill nearby gave them a clear view of the well lit property and its guards, allowing them to gather all the information they needed on the numbers of guards present and their routine. They moved softly into the night.

The attack opened with a small number of stealthy figures hurling small bundles of hay wrapped in cloth over the walls, the flames rapidly creating thick plumes of smoke filling the courtyard. The group of soldiers at the gates had almost no time to start shouting warnings before the first fusillade of arrows and bolts arrived, the wet thuds of crossbows at close range striking home. Discipline gave way to rapid panic as they retreated, people screaming and dying, the blood flecked foam on their chests signifying the manner of their demise.

Clouds silent descent through the nights sky occurred unnoticed in the panic, his enchanted wings gliding silently like an huge avenging owl, his normal blue glow dimmed by the need for stealth. He alighted lightly upon the high roof just as the first soldiers began to fall, his leather harness and broad saddle glimmering in the torchlight. Made a week previous after the plan to attack had been drawn up, it was a very special saddle, sized to fit the only known pegasus in the world, and to seat two, although currently it held only a single occupant. The Magician, virtually invisible in his mottled grey camouflage slipped onto the roof and deftly smashed through the window just below rolling to his feet in the room below.

The guard standing in the room with the three prisoners span to face the shattering glass, his arming sword flashing through the air harmlessly before he came face to face with an apparently unarmed man, holding a pair of cubes of hay wrapped in pitch soaked cloth.

“I’m sorry.”

The magician erupted into a crackle of electricity starting at his feet and boiling over his form before striking forwards and lifting the poor hapless guard up and through the door behind him, splinters flying. He hit the far wall with a sickening crunch, arcs of lightning striking the stone next to him and a dark scent of burning flesh filled the air. A pair of now burning cubes of hay followed him into the corridor rapidly filling the air with thick choking smoke. The Magician turned to the shackled prisoners and produced a tiny silver key, flashing like quicksilver and glowing gently, and unlocked their manacles one by one. He was working on freeing the middle prisoner, a scared looking young girl no more than nine or so when another guard appeared in the doorway, finger already closing on the crossbow trigger. The magician caught out, instinctively moved to cover the girl, grunting loudly as the bolt struck true, nailing his right arm to his chest, before the soldier jerked and spasmed uncontrollably as a blast of lightning from the Magician's left hand ended his life. He swiftly unlocked the last manacle before gesturing roughly at the window where a rope swung gently in the breeze.

“Go, up” he croaked, before blasting another fray of lightning into the smoke filled doorway, now filled with shouts and sounds of running feet. The huddled prisoners, two women and a girl mutely fled towards the rope, climbing desperately for the roof with a strength born of terror and survival, the scene behind them turning to carnage as lightning and blasts of magical energy faced off against cold steel.

As Cloud lifted off from the roof with his precious cargo the scene below of the manor was one of a massacre. After the initial spray of bolts and arrows had felled most of the defenders a swarthy group of raiders armed with axes and swords had scaled the walls with ladders, dropping stealthily into the gardens around the manor, their faces covered with thick wet rags. Smashing windows they had swarmed into the lower floors of the house, whilst a small rag tag group of spear armed hunters had assaulted the front gate led by the giant figure of Dunlain. His features and armour hidden by dark cloth coverings, the only clue to his identity his trademark huge hammer flashing in the night, making short work of men and doors alike.

By the time Dunlain had made it to the upper floors the house was silent save the weeping of a small number of household staff and the clattering noise of rapid looting. The magician was slumped against a wall alive but wounded, a bolt protruding rudely from his forearm and a gash across his chest revealing a layer of glittering rainbow mail under his clothes. Dunlain pulled his mask away from his face in the smoky air, observing the corridor filled with six corpses in front of him.

“Are they secure?”

“They left a few minutes ago by air. They should be with Queen Elsa within minutes. I sense no danger with them yet.”

Lord Dunlain nodded before gesturing downstairs.

“We should go. We have prisoners to see to and a rabble of bandits to tame. It’s going to be a long night yet. Will you live?” He gestured his hammer at the bolt pinning the magicians arm to his chest.

“This? I’ll live. I’ve had much worse than this. Let’s go clean all this up.”

\-----------

Hanna, the young girl Amaranth, and the older woman Alyona all seemed to be healthy and grateful for their rescue standing inside one of the upper portrait galleries, the royal physician clucking around them, and a small gaggle of maids proffering warm blankets and shawls. Elsa stood demurely before them, beaming with joy as they recounted the story of their rapid rescue and subsequent terrifying flight across snowy Arendelle on an impossible flying horse.

Elsa learned that Amaranth was indeed the Ice Wolf's daughter, and she had been the prisoner of the duke for almost an entire year by her recollection. Alyona eventually admitted to being the mistress of Count Kolm, one of the minor members of the council, but a man with many connections and much political clout despite his station. She had been a prisoner for about six months or so, and had grown fond of Amaranth in that time. Hanna on the other hand was more forthcoming, although she did describe herself as Havriggar’s personal assistant as well as his mistress. Elsa had them transferred to quarters next to her own, in the spare royal suite, a heavy guard to watch them round the clock until they could go home.

The Dukes plans were one step closer to failure and Elsa felt jubilant, helped along by an unexpected hug from Amaranth, the unexpected warmth and contact no longer causing Elsa discomfort. It had been an excellent day in the end, the second in a row and The Queen hoped it would last.

\-----------

The Fish and Bowl was, if anything, even more packed than it had been recently. Half of Arendelle town was in the tavern that evening, with drinks and money being passed overhead from person to person. The crowd was a broad cross section of the community, spilling out into the garden behind the tavern as well as the street out front, all awaiting the mysterious storyteller. Last night he had told a new story, an ancient tale of gods and magic which had tugged the heartstrings of everyone listening and sung to something deep in their blood. The eldest listeners had confirmed that they remembered the tale from their youngest days and now everyone was piling in to get a chance to listen to the ancient poem. All noise stopped as a now familiar voice drifted in from the street.

“My Friends! Stand Aside for I have a tale to tell!”

A great cheer arose from the pub as the familiar red cloak equipped skald appeared at the door of the tavern, holding a dramatic pose and a broad grin. The Skald made his way through the teeming crowd, exchanging handshakes and brief pleasantries with the gathered citizens as he made his way to the stage, although he seemed to be favoring one arm.

“My Friends, let me tell you a tale, of woe and magic. Older than the hills, from a time before Midgard was truly the domain of man.” The crowd stilled, tensed and anxious for the beginning of the story, for this was an old tale of Arendelle’s heritage.

“In the mighty halls of Vanheim, high in the spine of the world there were born two young goddesses, the get of Freyja and Freyr.” The skald made a sweeping gesture towards the great mountain range to the south, just visible from the pubs windows. “Gersemi and Hnoss were their names, born as one under the same star, they were blessed with all of the beauty of their mother Freyja and all of the power of their father Freyr.”

The skalds voice was low, but loud, carrying to the farthest corners of the dark tavern.

“As these twins grew so did their legendary beauty and their love for all things around them. Gersemi gave her name of all of the jewels and finery of the world, and such gemstones and beauty gained her name, for such is the way of Elves. Her sister Hnoss gave her name to sensual pleasures and passionate love out of desire to please her sister, for they were ever together.”

Nods and murmurs were exchanged around the room, for this was old lore, ancient knowledge stirring at the back of the minds of the listeners. The room was captivated, the tangible sense of magic hanging in the air.

“As the world around them grew jealous of their beauty and love and sought to possess them they took refuge in one another, as was the custom of the Vanir at the time, for they had nothing to fear from one another. Their love was pure and legendary, but it was not to be, for the affairs of gods and mortals can be equally cruel, and nothing is equal in power to greed.”

The skalds voice hardened, and the room grew even more silent, drinks untouched and food left unattended.

“The great sword Mimming was lost at the time to the gods, held by the giant king Gymir and his many vassals. Freyr had traded his mighty sword for another wife, for the Vanir were lustful and had a great need of more warriors and poets, but even then the time of Ragnarok fast approached, and the powers of the great sword were required to hold fast the darkness. So it was that the Mighty Freyr hatched a callous plan for a trade, the hand of Hnoss for the sword needed to save the world.”

 

A faint gasp ran through the room at the dark pronouncement, and many shook their heads at the obvious betrayal. 

“The daughter of Freyja would marry the cruel giant king and bear him many sons and her sister Gersemi would go to the house of the Aesir to cement the peace between them, forever robbing the twins of their comfort.”

Faint whispers ran through the room as a cold gust blew through the doors and windows causing all to shiver. The crowd murmured their disapproval.

“Betrayed by their father Freyr the young lovers fate was sealed.”

“No!” The gasp went around the room, the crowd deeply invested in the story. The high corners of the tavern twinkled lightly with a dusting of magic.

“When the sisters heard of this plan they grew despairing for their love was True and they could not bear to be separated and so they wailed and sobbed, cursing the world. Hnoss withdrew and hope was lost to the mortals of the world, there was no passion and no love to be found in life and all was as winter. Gersemi in her rage overflowed the world with her blessings and all became as gemstones in aspect and the mortals despaired at the frozen world for they could not eat gemstones.”

The skald began to pace, his lute quietly emphasising the sadness of the tale and the heavy sense of betrayal.

“No matter how they raged or argued Freyr could not be dissuaded and all of his daughters’ tears were for naught. Freyr had greedily seen the gifts the Aesir were to lavish upon him for such a great marriage and, coupled with his need to possess his sword once more, he saw no alternatives. He cursed them with the greatest of magic that they could never be together.”

A dark sense of foreboding settled across the tavern.

“Gersemi and Hnoss met and despaired together, consummating their love as wives they hatched a plan to pitt the power of True Love against the power of Greed, together they would flee from their betrayal.”

The Skalds voice was heavy and sad.

“And flee they did, taking up mortal form and fleeing to midgard to live and love together, far from the concerns of the Gods. To the kingdom of Aren did they flee, to hide in the lands of men, but they could not hide from the sight of their father. The people of Aren fearing the wrath of the gods gave up the sisters. Great was the rage of Freyr, blinded as he was by greed and fury, he struck out at the young lovers, slaying Hnoss in his rage as she threw herself before her sister.”

Some in the audience began to sniff, and a few fought back tears, for the sense of injustice was heavy in the room.

“Freyr forced Gersemi to Asgard and gave her to the Aesir to do with as they pleased. Gersemi in her grief climbed the tower of Odin seeking a way to be with her sister again, but no answers were forthcoming. All beauty in the world was extinguished for a month as her form fell from the window of the highest tower and the world was deprived of Gersemi and Hnoss.”

Noses were blown and hugs exchanged in the crowd as the skald gave everyone a chance to settle before raising a hand to call for silence and attention once more. His voice took on a mystical tilt, hinting at mysteries yet to be revealed.

“But there is hope yet for legend says that they travel the world of mortals still, locked in a cycle of reincarnation and bound by the curse that they cannot be together, forever separated by man’s Greed and Anger.”

The Skalds eyes cast across the room, moving from face to face in the audience.

“They fight to this day, out in the world of mortals, trying to prove True Love is the strongest magic in the world. Starcrossed lovers, forever held apart by their curse, but hoping against all hope to overcome their fate.”

He finished the tale with a triumphant raised fist and a hopeful expression, as the magic began to fade from the room. There was an eruption of muted cheers and much clapping as the emotions swelled in the room, the camaraderie of a good story binding everyone together. Only one person in the room sat completely unaffected, once again in a corner booth covered by a cloak. He stood and spoke in a loud projecting voice, catching the room by surprise as he lowered his hood.

“Tell me _Skald_ of the story of our _good_ Queen Elsa’s great grandmother if you should know the tale. And tell it true for it is well known.”

The Duke of Almdlir’s voice was sneering, but commanding and his gaze left no doubt as to his lack of respect for the bard before him. The Skalds face hardened and he strummed his lute aggressively.

“Forsooth milord, for I am sure that as a mere peasant I can educate thee in such common history, be a pity if one such highborn were so ignorant”

The Skalds tone was light and mocking, his words mimicking the classic royal fool, and giving the Duke no time to respond he launched into his sad tale.

The story of the Legendary and Infamous Snow Queen was known throughout the north, although versions varied wildly from kingdom to country, the truth apparently in some debate. It was truly then the mark of a superior storyteller to tell the tale in such a way as to make it seem as though theirs was the definitive article. It was easier in Arendelle of course, as the terrifying figure had once ruled the tiny kingdom as its sole Queen before disappearing and leaving the country to one of her nephews.

“During the height of winter solstice, born to the sleepy Kingdom of Arendelle was a great power, a blizzard blanketing the kingdom. The Snow Queen of Arendelle. Her heart was filled with sadness and fear from the day she was born though none could say why. By the time of her adulthood her powers had grown truly formidable and none dared speak their mind around her for fear of her deadly wrath. Armies from neighboring countries came, keen to depose the witch and she slew them all, frozen with deadly wrath, icy statues a mute testament to her will.”

The audience shivered reflexively although the tavern was warm with summer still, and the previous mysterious icy breeze was long passed.

“Unknown to the world at this time a small band of dark trolls, far removed from their gentler cousins of today were plotting mischief upon the men of Midgard. The Trolls of old had held kingdoms of their own before the fall of the great giants and many held darkness in their hearts as a result. The had fashioned a great mirror, made from dwarven silver and lined with gold from Asgard, all of the beauty of the world turned dark at their revenge filled hearts. In this mirror all was reflected bereft of beauty or goodness, nothing within was seen with love or affection.”

The Skald ceased before casting a knowing glance around the room, as if letting all present in on a great secret.

“I think we can all see the circumstances required to create such a thing, bereft of all love and beauty in the world, after all, it had happened before.”

The Duke’s face was twisted with fury, evidently this was not going exactly to plan. 

“The trolls were taking this mirror from land to land, reflecting all human achievement within it to show all how hollow and worthless they were. Kings wept at its visage and cast down their great works, even the greatest and most beautiful landscapes were rendered down to their crudest form. Great forests seemed little more than boiled cabbage on sticks, fields of grass appeared as dank moss, and the highest of mountains as bald knives of rock.”

The crowd were nodding along, for this great tale was exactly as they remembered. Truly this Skald knew his stuff, and none could understand the Dukes furor so far.

“As one final trick upon the world, the trolls sought to push the mirror into Asgard, to shame the gods and mayhaps recapture some of their lost kingdom if it fell from the grace of the Aesir. They had not, however bargained on the intervention of Loki, not a surprise at all since he was recorded slain at Ragnarok at the hands of his brother Thor. But it is hard to kill a trickster god, and harder still to trick Loki, who tripped one of the trolls carrying the mirror as they reached the summit of the mountain. Down into the world of mortals the trolls fell, their mirror shattering into a billion pieces of dust and glass.”

Another jovial cheer crossed the tavern at the Trolls defeat.

“The glass blew into the eyes of mortals across the world, dimming their sight and robbing them of the beauty of the gods creation. None were immune to its curse, not even the Snow Queen of Arendelle, her heart already bereft of summer was more susceptible than most. She froze the kingdom solid and fled into the wilds leaving her people to die in the frozen fields, the curse eventually broken by an act of true love between two youngsters which thawed the heart of the cursed monarch. Her eyes were cleared by her falling tears and she could once again see clear. And as the rest of the world wept for Arendelle so too did their eyes clear from the effects of the cursed mirror. Once again True Love triumphed over evil magic, and the world was restored to order, and the two youngsters Gerda and Kai were freed to return home free of the mirrors curse.”

The duke pointed dramatically at the Skald, interrupting.

“And isn’t it true storyteller, that Queen Elsa is directly descended from that cursed witch? That she is just as dangerous? She could kill us all without proper guidance!”

“Some years after the curse was broken, the new king and queen of Arendelle were having difficulty conceiving a child it is true. Their prayers were answered in the form of a giant swan made of snow arriving in their bedroom one night with a bundle in its beak. The swaddling babe within was to be King Agnarr’s father, for the royal family adopted the babe without a thought, all signs pointing to him being a gift from the gods themselves. He was one of the greatest rulers Arendelle has ever had.”

The Skalds voice was icy with fury, angry that his stories were being twisted by another.

“It is certainly true that Queen Elsa is descended from the legendary Snow Queen, of that there is little doubt, her likely great grandmother cleared a curse from the whole world, even as she may have hurt the people of Arendelle. But like any wounded animal she simply lashed out in pain at the injustice of living in a world without summer, for her sunshine and light was no-where to be found. Perhaps she found some measure of peace in the end, someone to help dull the pain of living in a cold world without her soulmate.”

“BAH” The Dukes fury was evident now, as he motioned to his guards to clear the way. “I’ll not sit here and listen to your moralizing. That witch was deadly, and any of her descendants could be similarly dangerous, the great blizzard was proof enough of that. Elsa is a threat to us all and she needs to be reined in, she needs a strong hand and I know just what to do.”

The duke swept from the tavern, angry murmurs following him, although more than a few voices were raised in support. The Skald watched him go, waiting a short while before recapturing his audience with another strum from his lute.

“Perhaps another tale? I can think of just the one, a story about the dangers of arranged marriage, and the lust for power. There once was a powerful duke who lusted after the body of a fair maiden...”

The laugher of the tavern drifted down the street, even as a few disgruntled patrons slipped away into the darkness.


	6. Waiting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super bonus chapter. Apparently everything went ultra smoothly today, in a never to be replicated feat. And so you can all have another chapter, four days early.
> 
> WARNINGS  
> There are some vague references to unspecified Bad Sexual events, involving a minor in this chapter. They shouldn't occur again in the rest of the story. I have placed bolded paragraph breaks ( **=======** ) on either side of the worst offending text in case people need to skip over it. There is not anything specifically plot relevant in the text, except to explain some of the reactions of the character in question.

The fjord was as usual icy and cold, the stab of panic and terror at the ice sculpture of Anna before her as real as ever and Elsa collapsed wailing over her frozen form. She hoped, wished and prayed for her sister to return, her Anna, her summer sunshine and reason for being. Once again, miraculously the ice below her shifted and melted, Anna returning to life and Elsa felt her spirits lift, her sister's body once again becoming pliable beneath her hands. Elsa stepped back, her tears drying and giving her a chance to dare to hope once again. She was met with a scene of horror.

“Eelsaaa”

Anna’s skin was grey white and rotting, her mouth hung loosely open, her eyes were dead and blank.

“N- NO!” Elsa screamed her hand pulling up to her mouth in terror and revulsion.

_You Did This. You did this. You did. Youdidthis. youdidthisyoudidthisyoudidthisyoudidthis_

Elsa’s mind was blank with shame and terror as the dead thing lurched a step towards her. The scene of her sister's death replaying over and over again before her eyes. Her fault. Always her fault.

“That’s not me Elsa”

The voice came from behind her, just at the edge of sight, the fierce blizzard all but eliminating sight, but Elsa didn't need sight to recognise Anna’s voice.

“That isn’t me. You didn't do that, I’m right here.”

Elsa backed away slowly her shame and guilt blocking out rational thought when warm arms embraced her from behind, the hint of summer smells and the promise of safety edging into her thoughts.

“Stop looking at it, it isn’t real. None of this is.”

But Elsa couldn’t tear her eyes away from the shambolic creature before her, its eyes glassy with the promise of long forgotten dead things and it’s knees knocked like a mannequin with its strings cut. It took another staggering lurch towards her its arms raised in a crude mockery of a hug.

“Oh for goodness sakes” Anna muttered into Elsa’s ear. Elsa was startled as Anna’s arms lit up with fire, and her sister, the real Anna, assumed a pose with lightning speed, Elsa recognised from her magic lessons. Standing on one foot, the other foot resting at anna’s knee and both hands brought low and off to the side like a skilled ball thrower readying for a pitch. Fire boiled between her hands briefly, before the redheaded princess flung it towards the moving corpse in a steady stream. The vision of death and horror was incinerated utterly before Elsa’s eyes, Anna’s face locked in a cocky smirk as the flames danced along her arms.

“Gone now, see? Just me now. Look at me”

Anna extinguished the flames and captured her Sister’s face in her hands, dragging Elsa’s eyes level with her own. Tears were rolling down Elsa’s face but she met Anna’s insistent gaze.

“I killed you”

“Nope, still here. Look. All fine”

Anna did a rapid pirouette before embracing Elsa in a full body hug, trying to pour her warmth and life into Elsa who was merely hyperventilating in response.

“C’mon Elsa breath slowly, relax. You can do it.”

Elsa began to calm herself, slowing her breathing and steadying her heart rate finding it harder than ever, as though everything was filtered through molasses. She looked shakily down at Anna’s face, a picture of trust and love.

“It wasn’t your fault Elsa. And I would do it all again, understand? True Love always wins… Just… trust me, ok?”

Elsa nodded mutely, before leaning down to plant a kiss on Anna’s nose, her eyes drawn to a glittering pendant nestled between her sister’s breasts, a fiery red orb nestled in a golden heart shaped cage. Anna grinned radiantly and leaned up to snatch the kiss onto her lips, her heart rate speeding up visibly as the gem beat a magical tempo in time. The soft kiss on her lips calmed Elsa, although she captured Anna’s hands before they could roam, and pulled herself away slightly.

“Just… hold me? I’m too… everything is…” Elsa’s voice trailed off and Anna blushed.

“Of course. Still love me?”

“Always.”

Elsa melted into the hug, her fears drifting away, although she was rudely interrupted by her nose crinkling. Smoke? They pulled apart. Anna looked indistinct, almost fuzzy around the edges as she looked off to the side, staring at something Elsa couldn’t see, before turning to face her again.

“Promise me you’ll sleep ok?”

Anna began to fade from view, Elsa tightened her hug on her disappearing sister, noting with displeasure how much more she felt like one of her pillows. Elsa sobbed quietly as she spoke.

“I love you”

“Love you too Els, I gotta go!”

The rest of Elsa’s sleep was calm and dreamless and she awoke with little memory of the night except for a fleeting memory of her sister and a death grip on a pillow which was still wet with tears.

\-----------

As was tradition, in the latter days of the month citizens of Arendelle could visit the castle to petition the monarch for redress. Any citizen from the lowest subsistence farmer or trapper all the way to the wealthiest burgher could seek an audience with the ruler and have their fears and grievances heard, receiving an immediate judgement on the matter. A truly ancient practice long fallen out of favour in most of the other kingdoms of the world Elsa still considered it to be a cornerstone of her duties, the central pillar of what it meant to be monarch in Arendelle. She walked towards the throne room on impulse, lost deep in thought about the events of the past few weeks, idly dreading the upcoming moments. Elsa loved her people dearly, but the thought of needing to sit in front of so many, for so long and render legal judgement left her cold. Perhaps her darkest admission would be that simply talking to so many people, needing to socialise so much, left her all but shaking with fear. It was from this gentle malaise of thoughts that she was unexpectedly jerked, just as she rounded the corner of the royal passageway to the throne room by a mailed hand in front of her. The Captain of the Royal Guard, Captain Aran, stood gently blocking her way, a faint pleased expression on his face and a finger to his lips. Anna's voice filtered into the passageway from the throne room, along with the noise of a bellicose crowd. Anna spoke again before Elsa could react.  
"And then the stinky duke said that neither I nor the Queen could do anything about the bandit problem until we got married! Can you imagine!"  
The crowd murmured angrily, whether at or with Anna her sister couldn't tell.  
"Worse, he wanted Queen Elsa to marry HIM of all people, I mean come on. My beautiful perfect sister marrying that boor, after he hurt so many people? He's old enough to be our dad, nearly old enough to be our grand-dad even. Not happening am I right?"  
To the Ice Queens surprise the throne room exploded with shouts of agreement. Cries of "Nay" and "Not on 'is life!" filtered down the corridor. Elsa smiled widely, at least her people were behind her on this, although perhaps that was just Anna's infectious wonderfulness and radiant personality. A final loud cry of "Yuck" from Anna and a slight giggle silenced the room.  
"So, now that's out of the way, I just wanna say that I will do everything I can to help you, but my hands are bound by all... this... but if we work together we can sort out anything. That's the Arendelle way right? Help you neighbor, help your friends, help yourself!"  
The last pronouncement was met with a muted cheer from the assembled, Elsa could imagine in her mind's eye Anna standing, one foot on the royal ottoman punching the air with victory. There was a fabricy sounding thwump noise, and a faint titter from the crowd, before Anna gave the command for the first petitioner to come forward.  
It was the Twedeldum brothers. Of course it was. Elsa groaned, visions of nightmarish solutions filling her mind. The issue was almost comical she supposed, Arnold ran a pig farm and his estranged brother Bartak ran an orchard next door, and pigs, being pigs, regularly found ways around the fencing and walls between the two properties to eat the apples. Bartak lost money on the apples and Arnold’s pigs got sick from eating too many. They had been four times so far, and Elsa had failed to solve the issue each time, and now they were turning their ire on the princess.  
Elsa nudged one of the royal guards aside and peeked into the room from the hidden vantage point. Anna was wearing her favorite Dress, the green brocade bodice with the large light green skirt, it was her all purpose adventuring, chocolate thieving, town visiting dress and combined with the royal crown upon her head she was every bit the image of the beloved Princess of Arendelle. She had descended the throne and was talking animatedly to the two brothers, her eyes shining with wonder as they told her all about their pig based conundrum. What Anna said to them next Elsa wasn't exactly certain but the two brothers both looked uncomfortable at once before shuffling their feet and scratching the back of their heads. Anna pressed them some more and they started haltingly talking, one then the other, falling over each other and trying to shush the other, but the young princess held her ground and kept order. Then, as their explanation came to a halting end, she burst into tears, prompting Elsa to barge into the throne room, all but flying down the stairs to hug her distraught sister.  
"Bu-But thats so, so, saad. Wh- Why? Why wouldn't you f- forgive each other?"  
Anna half turned and buried her face in Elsa's arms, her tears flowing freely. Elsa stiffened slightly when she realised that Anna's crying was... controlled? measured? It wasn't faked, but it certainly wasn't as debilitating as Anna was pretending. She knew instinctively when Anna was suffering, and how much, an awful consequence of sitting on the wrong side of a locked door for too many years listening to her younger sister pour out her heart and soul. Elsa remained silent, trying to keep the look of confusion from her face.  
The two brothers looked as if their world had collapsed around their ears, as they each tried to comfort the princess with words.  
"Look ere, I just.", "I mean I jus' wanted", they both began, Anna's sobs rose ever so slightly in volume.  
"No your highness, please! I jus' wanted an apology!" Arnold haltingly held out a hand, as if to lay a comforting hand on the Princess Regents shoulder.  
"O' course I don' 'ate 'im, E's me brother!" Bartak protested.  
"I just wanted 'im to go first is all"  
"I don’t give a damn about the stupid apples, or the blasted pigs!"  
"I just.... I just.... I just wanted me brother back."  
"Er. Ye wot? Um. I sort of thought you hated me?"  
"Nah. I'm sorry bro. I was being an arse."  
"Oh. So... Christmas. You coming over tae mine or..?"  
"Nah, you come round mine. It’s me turn anyway. We'll sort the fences out proper by midsummer."  
Anna's crying and sobs receded with remarkable speed as she grabbed the farmers hands in hers. She squealed with joy, and gave each man a brief hug, before indicating that they should do the same. As the two brothers staggered out leaning on one another, Anna wiped her nose with the back of her hand, earning her a stiff look from Elsa before she hopped back onto the throne and motioned for Elsa to sit on the throne next to her, in her mother's old seat. Elsa hardly thought of the implications as she sat anyway, just glad to be so close to Anna as she handed out pronouncements and judgements.  
Elsa marvelled at their differences in ruling and approach, it quickly became apparent that her sister only had a rough and ready knowledge of Arendelle’s laws and the precise punishments and penalties, but that she hardly ever needed to use them. Instead the young princess talked animatedly with each person put before her, asking questions and listening intently. Elsa was floored by how quickly Anna got each person to tell her exactly what their desired outcome was, and whether or not they had been treated fairly, with the majority of cases being solved with a simple apology and a promise to buy the other person an ale or tiny box of chocolates (her sister could be truly single minded sometimes).  
The last group to come forward however, were the good people of Hoytslott, the easternmost barony of Arendelle. The bandits and state of the roads out in Hoytslott were intolerable, and the peasantry had approached the queen in something of a state of emergency. Elsa could see no good legal recourse here, her powers as monarch were limited by the Dukes machinations, and the Crown’s treasury had been largely empty after a long period of regency and inefficient management. Even after Anna's stunt to claim emergency powers the Duke’s men were preventing shipments of construction material into Arendelle somehow, and the situation was growing more dire by the week. Hoytslott was too far to the east to come under the Ice Wolves territory, and this group of bandits were much more vicious. Anna's solution was, as always novel. She quickly interviewed the group, learning a small amount about each person and their situation, charming everyone with her honesty and eagerness to help whilst identifying the natural leaders present in the group. Everyone present seemed to coalesce around a single figure.  
"You guys all trust this man to lead you right?" Anna pointed at the broad shouldered young man who had brought the complaint forward, the son of the burgher of Hoytslott township, he had the giant physique of one of the hairy icemen of the north. There were general nods of agreement and slaps on the back of the now nervous looking young man.  
"So, Johan was it? Do you swear not to let me down, or my sister, or the people of arendelle in general?" The young man stuttered out a brief promise in reply, now looking quite confused. It once again looked as though Anna had gotten over her fear of trusting people, so briefly inflicted by the evil Prince Hans.  
"Awesome. I hereby dubb you Sir Johan, etc etc. You can be a hedge knight! I've read all about them, you'll love it. Anyway, you can now raise a regiment in times of war, which you now have my permission to do. I'll have the Marshall go with you guys and sort out all the equipment you're going to need as well as the training. Oh yeah, uhh... You need to come over here and kneel."  
If the young man looked baffled and nervous before, suddenly being propelled to the technical ranks of nobility, albeit almost at the absolute lowest rank possible, seemed to simply wipe all thoughts from his mind. He stumbled forwards dumbly in the thunderous applause and collapsed to his knees in front of the de-facto ruler. Anna knighted him quickly, with an affirmative glance at Kai to check that she had done it correctly, and immediately began making motions for the paperwork to be drawn up, and a seal to be created. The newly minted Sir Johan of Hoytslott was quickly absorbed into a pile of jubilant townsfolk who were already peppering him with advice and suggestions of how best to organise their defence.  
Elsa was flattened with a combination of awe and dread. Simply creating a new agent of the crown inside the baroness parsimony to deal with the bandit problem by raising a militia regiment was inspired. It was technically within the Crown’s authority, although the newly created knight would have no lands or real title, and consequently no political clout at all, however he would answer directly to the crown as a result and not the Baroness of Hoytslott. On the other hand Anna had all but declared war on the Baroness by completely ignoring her authority and sending agents of the crown into her lands without permission. This _might_ solve their problems. Or it could make them a whole lot worse, without actually fixing anything, and get a lot of innocent civilians killed as well. Only time would tell and Elsa silently prayed that Anna knew what she was doing.

\-----------

Kristoff was alerted to Anna's presence that evening by a chuffing noise from Sven and the Royal Icemaster and Deliverer straightened slowly, carefully placing down the pitchfork he was using to move hay around. They stood in silence for a moment before Kristoff turned and tried to meet Anna's gaze, both clearly uncomfortable. Anna broke the silence first.  
"Kristoff. The guards told me you returned safely this morning. I was happy."  
Kristoff put a huge meaty hand to the back of his head, shades of embarrassment and shame evident in his features. His voice was halting and uncertain.  
"H-Hi Anna"  
Kristoff’s expression twisted slightly, a brief moment of anguish passing over his features and he was still unable to meet Anna's gaze. If he had looked her straight in the eye he would have seen her face was a mirror of his own emotions. They both spoke at once.  
"Anna I ju-" "Kristoff I'm so-"  
Their eyes met, the tension held for just a moment before Anna's expression broke into a faint smile and an even fainter giggle.  
"Go on." She urged Kristoff, giving him a warm and reassuring smile. Kristoff looked stricken but steeled himself.  
"I'm sorry. I was an idiot. I... I said things I didn't mean. I was hurt and I was angry, and I lashed out. I don't think that I am as good a person as I thought I was, and I was wrong to say that about you."  
He looked utterly contrite, and about half an inch away from crying to boot, Anna moved slightly closer, letting her arms fall to her sides.  
"I was" Anna gulped "I screwed up. I was in love with the idea of being in love, and I hurt you. I knew that I was leading you on, even that night when... when you... with the ring." She looked crestfallen but determined and continued after only a momentary pause to sniff and wipe her nose on the back of a glove. "I talked to a love expert about it and I realised I was afraid." She caught his expression of confusion. "Oh no, not a troll. No I talked to someone else, one of Elsa's friends. He really helped. Set my mind straight about what I want, who I want to be. I want to be honest, Kristoff, I hate lying to people. I was afraid to hurt you, I couldn't break up with you because I was scared that you would think less of me, that we couldn't be friends anymore and I ruined everything as a result."  
Kristoff found the traces of a grin forming on his face.  
"Grand pabbie asked me if I really loved you, or if I loved the idea of you. I didn't really understand what he meant at first, then he asked me about what I had said, about thinking you were better? I... I made you out to be this perfect flawless thing, and then when you proved you weren’t exactly what I thought you were, I lashed out like a kid." All the tension in the room had evaporated as the pair stood more relaxed, but both very gently crying. "I saw all the signs that things weren't right between us, how you pushed me away, avoided saying you loved me, always changed the subject to Elsa or something when you were uncomfortable."  
Anna took Kristoff's hands in her own and forced a huge smile.  
"Can we still be friends? I mean... if you want?"  
"I'd like that Princess but... I need a bit more time. I have a load of deliveries to make, up to Hoytslott, think I'll take Olaf for a bit to keep Sven company."  
Anna's expression became grave.  
"Be careful up there, the bandits are dangerous at the moment."  
"I'll be fine" Kristoff reassured her "Bandits can't keep up with Sven, and in any case I'll be with the Marshall and some of the Royal Guard."  
Anna agreed that he would be fine, but still she worried for the rest of the day as she watched him leave, sleigh piled high with whatever arms and armour the castle could spare. Kristoff was one of the only friends she had ever known, and she worried for his safety.

\-----------

It was late evening and Elsa had completed her tasks for the day, the cover story for the hunters who died had been finalised and their funerary arrangements had been organised along with a small pension for their families. Elsa had spent most of the morning arranging an imaginary rabid bear hunt as well as quietly meeting with the families of the deceased. Her heart was a shattered mess at having to lie to her people but the hunters families had seemed satisfied that their sons had died in defence of the realm, although Elsa could not tell them the truth. She had avoided this responsibility going anywhere near Anna, and had done her best to insulate her from the truth that three of the brave young men who volunteered had never come home, to say nothing of the dozens of dead members of the Duke’s personal Guard. She was less concerned with the near dozen of the Ice Wolf bandits who had fallen in battle, although they had died in defence of the realm and thus deserved at least a posthumous pardon for their crimes. The pardons for the rest of the wolves, and trying to trace the outlaws families had taken most of the rest of the day.

Elsa was exhausted, emotionally and physically, and winced in discomfort when she reached the top of the stairs to the royal chambers for the hall was lined with royal guards, where there would normally be just a pair of defenders standing at the top of the stairs. This evening there was a veritable wall of defenders who parted to let the Queen enter, the claustrophobia of the situation was far from lost on Elsa who felt trapped rather than defended. As she approached her room she noticed that both her door and Anna’s were slightly open, clearly awaiting their occupants for the evening. Perplexed she poked her head into her room, then Anna’s, noting a lack of her sister. She frowned, distinctly remembering her head footman mentioning that Anna had headed up to bed before Elsa had made it to dinner that evening, She looked at the guard stationed near Anna’s room.

“My sister?” She inquired. The Guard nodded down the hall towards one of the guest rooms.

“With young miss Amaranth Majesty”

Elsa found Anna and Amaranth sat on the large double guest bed, surrounded by a large yellow blanket from Anna’s room, several story books, a small pile of plundered cakes (many with bites taken out of them), and Anna’s plush toy seal from her childhood. The young brown haired girl was sat on the bed wrapped in Anna’s arms wearing full winter pajamas and socks, her blazing blue eyes glued to the book in front of her. The clothes were obviously Anna’s from years ago, kept in some storage closet or other by the maid staff in case they would be needed again. Elsa smiled and clutched her chin with a hand, she remembered that book from her childhood. Anna had a story commissioned about the daring adventures of her stuffed seal, how he fought pirates, rescued princesses and slew the evil monsters under the bed and in the closet. Father had been resistant to the idea of an enchanted toy seal at first, but Anna’s pleading and puppy dog eyes had been relentless, and he was never very good at resisting her suggestions to begin with. So the book was commissioned to be written by an excellent storyteller and illuminated by the finest artist in Arendelle, with a few spare copies for the royal library and orphanage. Anna was reading the story slowly, her finger tracing along the words as she went, stopping to do all of the noises and sound effects, even the ones papa used to do which weren’t in the book.

Elsa was almost startled by the tear that struck her knuckle, she had never realised it was possible to cry with love before, but this scene was almost more than she could bear. Anna, crown of the queen consort on her head, reading storybooks to a young girl in her bed, it was a scene meant to be, although perhaps with a touch less chocolate and slightly more restraint on the cakes. Anna’s eyes were glittering in the low fire-light with unbridled joy as she whooshed and splooshed her way through the story, waving the small stuffed seal with her other hand and occasionally bashing him into the page, his tiny leather sword swatting ineffectual at the paper monsters. Amaranth may have been slightly too old for such treatment but if she had any objections they were clearly overridden by Anna’s infections enthusiasm and desire to teach her to read, indeed she seemed entranced by the experience. Elsa wondered how long it had been since the girl had last been somewhere truly safe. Anna glanced up at her during the turning of a page and crinkled a smile at her, Elsa glowed back with affection and moved into the room, closing the door carefully behind her.

“How are you Amaranth?” Elsa asked, trying to keep her voice light.

The young girl did not reply but just about managed a watery smile before burying her face in Anna’s arm. Elsa moved the plate of partially eaten cakes, one small bite taken out of each, and sat at the end of the bed, rejoicing in the silent scene, although shooting a signature crooked glance out of the corner of her eye at Anna her face hosting a radiant smile. Elsa saw pain in the young girl’s eyes, the beginnings of tears. Elsa tried again.

“Do you need someone to talk to?”

Silence, with an almost imperceptible nod. Anna’s face was an unreadable mask, even to Elsa. Amaranth didn’t speak.

“Would you like to talk to me or Anna about it?” Shake.

“One of the ladies who was with you?” Shake.

“Would you like to talk to Captain Sealflippers? Just you and him?” Shake.

“You father is on his way here, he should be here in a couple of days, would you like to talk to him?” Shake Shake.

Elsa paused, thinking.

“But you would like someone to talk to?” Silence. “How about a special friend just for you, who will listen to anything and keep all of your secrets? Someone to watch over you when you sleep and keep you safe?”

Slow Nod.

Elsa breathed out, relaxing her form as much as she could, her hands reached behind her head unleashing her bun into a cascade of braided blonde hair over one shoulder. She reached her magical senses out as far as she could, sweeping across all of Arendelle, sensing every spirit and life she could reach. It was exhilarating and made her giddy with power for a moment before she focused her will and reached out a hand, calling to the spirits of Arendelle for one who could help this scared little girl. She felt a responsive tug, tiny and playful, but bold and fearless.

Magic swirled and Coalesced between her hands, a glowing shape taking form on her lap. A cute squidgy sausage, loosely a foot long with chubby cheeks, two cute button eyes and a pair of buck teeth, with a greyish stripe running down its belly, finished with a dusting of snow fur. The resulting giant hamster yawned and wiggled its front legs before lazily washing a whisker of snow. It plopped onto the bed and waddled towards Amaranth, its fuzzy cheeks rippling with the motion of its legs, Amaranths eyes were shining her face etched with wonder. She hugged the adorable creation which nestled into her lap and meeped contentedly.

“Its warm” the young girl whispered her voice disbelieving.

“Warm snow” Elsa smiled. “He’s magical of course. He will keep all of your secrets, and chase away all of the bad things.”

“How long will he…” Anna asked.

“As long as she needs him, then will he go home.” Elsa’s face was serene as she stroked the hamster a couple of times, before mussing Amaranths hair briefly. The young girl tensed briefly at the contact, Anna caught Elsa’s eyes her expression one of incredible sadness. They tucked Amaranth into bed and cleared away before making to leave, the young girl’s eyes darted to the bedroom door with slight panic.

“Anna” She whispered. Anna nodded grimly before speaking softly across the room.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get them to leave.” Anna promised, before motioning Elsa out of the room.

**=======**

Anna pulled the door shut behind her and waved at the nearby Royal Guards to indicate they should follow, they were unhappy about leaving their assigned posts but could not refuse. Once they were a distance away from the door Anna insisted that guarding Amaranths door to her chambers be guarded by some of the maid staff instead of the Royal Guards. The men looked furious and ashamed before Anna mollified them, insisting there was solid reason, and it was not a slight upon their abilities. Elsa was perplexed by this until Anna led her to her bedroom and shut the door. As soon as they were alone her composure broke and she began sobbing uncontrollably, tears flooding down her face, Elsa holding her tight. Anna cried solidly until her throat was raw, even after she was carried unresisting over to her bed by her older sister. The fire popped and hissed quietly in the now silent room, defining the silence before Anna finally spoke.

“She spoke a bit, Amaranth. An hour or so before you came in. She got hurt Elsa. Some of the men, not long after she was taken.” The pauses between sentences were heavy and Anna lost the ability to speak in patches, Elsa for her part was silent, observing the flow of fear and terror within herself.

“They… used her. For… pleasure.” Anna’s voice continued after that pronouncement, as she further explained, in a flat jerky monotone. She repeated the words said by the young girl but a few hours previous.

Elsa stood abruptly, retching and sprinted for the attached washroom, her stomach rising beyond her control. In truth she had suspected this news, but to see firsthand the fear and damage, to have her worries confirmed, was more than she could bear. Anna had followed, and was now holding back her hair, stroking Elsa’s head and making soothing noises through her fresh tears, rekindled by her sisters obvious distress. It really was too much.

The snow in the bathroom seemed oddly fitting this time, and neither could find the strength to comment as they lay together in the cold frigid bathroom. Had Elsa been in a more coherent state of mind she would have noticed the melted snow in a near perfect circle around Anna, the water running into rivulets down the drain in the centre of the bathroom, but for now she simply snuggled into her sister’s inexplicable warmth and cried herself to sleep on the tiles.

**=======**

The next two days were a tense affair around the castle with suspicion amongst the nobles in the council concerned by the sudden and unexplained draft of the royal guard to their full strength and apparent high alert status. Both the Queen and Queen Regent were silent on the matter, redirecting all questions to their lord Marshall, who in turn would only state reasons of “Personal Security”. The arrival of Harald the Wolf at court barely ruffled a feather, disguised as he was and with a guard of hunters. The dread bandit lord was escorted to the private rooms just behind the throne room with a skeleton guard headed by the fearsome Lord Dunlain where he was reunited with his daughter. Father and child wept freely in that space, watched by the smiling figures of Elsa and Anna. Skulking in the far corner was the figure of the Magician, his posture completely relaxed although he was fiddling with a tiny vial of twinkling blue dust. Harald straightened, glancing into his daughter’s eyes before standing to face his monarchs. Harald remembered himself at the last moment and got down on one knee before Queen Elsa, his fist clutched to his chest in salute.

“Your Majesty. I cannot thank you enough for the safe return of my daughter, you have my eternal gratitude, and of course my sword.”

Elsa glanced towards Dunlain for reassurance for a moment, receiving a curt nod and twitch of a smile in response.

“Rise Harald of Northwood, I grant you pardon for your crimes If you will pledge your fealty to myself and my sister.”

Harald glanced at his daughter again, frowning slightly. The girl had not moved much since their hug and was staring into space slightly, humming faintly, a light smile on her lips. The magician took a pace forward and coughed lightly to catch the former Blacksmith’s eye.

“That would be my fault, your daughter was distressed and asked me for help with her fear. I gave her something.”

“What did you do to her?” His voice was an icy growl and his hand flexed near his belt where his sword would hang, several of the guards nearby shifted faintly in response.

“Easy ser. I gave her a tiny pinch of blue fairy dust.” He shook the tiny vial which glowed blue and twinkled in response. “Harmless and wears off rapidly. It removes fear and provides happy thoughts, feel free to get her attention again if you wish to check, I imagine she is distracted by the aurora.”

Everyone in the room looked confused by the pronouncement. Harald knelt next to his daughter and spoke to her softly.

“Amaranth”

“Papa! Sorry, I was distracted, the fairies are outside playing on the Aurora, they are riding giant butterflies.”

Harald looked faintly stunned by her pronouncement, but pleased by her sudden animated response.

“You can see outside?” His question was edged with disbelief.

“Oh yes, the walls went all see through when the nice fairy in the corner blew magic dust in my eyes to take away the nightmares. I didn't want to come into the room with all the soldiers.”

Amaranths responses were bright and rapid, her face beatific and smiling. Harald looked over to the magician who smiled softly and shrugged, he gave the vial one last shake before pocketing it in a belt pouch, his eyes then turned to the queen who was looking on Amaranth with tears in her eyes.

“What happened to her?” He demanded, but softly for he feared the answer.

Elsa gestured for him to come close and leaned to his ear, breaking the news as softly as possible.

“I’ll kill the bastard responsible. I’ll kill him myself.”

Harald spat, his fury raining from his eyes as he shook. Elsa tried to steady him, her face sympathetic but calming.

“Someone already did by all accounts. There was a double hanging not long after apparently, Amaranth says she recognised their faces.”

Elsa knew this would be no real consolation, but it was all she could offer, she kept talking her voice soft but commanding to hear.

“I suspect the Duke had given them strict orders not to hurt their captives, but he is not a picky man with his recruitment. It…” She paused and hummed, trying to be diplomatic. “He would have hung them to assure that it never happened again.”

The Ice Wolf took a moment to collect himself before speaking to both sisters.

“For making it possible to rescue my daughter, and for your gracious offer of a pardon I do not deserve I pledge service to your majesty, and your highness. You have my life, my sword and my loyalty unto death. I won’t fail you again My Queen.”

He kneeled once again. Elsa seemed satisfied with his oath.

“You may rise once more Harald. I grant you a full pardon, and your status as a free man of Arendelle. I have a post available in my service if you will, I have need of a militia captain for a certain group of swarthy individuals in need of some correction to put on the straight and narrow again.” The Queen had a knowing smile on her face.

“I have a man I’d like your majesty to meet, Ragnvald my second, he’s like a son to me.”

\-----------

The bandit gang known as the Ice Wolves was secreted in the mostly empty valley which comprised the royal hunting grounds, their presence masked by the thick trees and high mountains. They were filed discretely into a logwood fort, constructed hastily for the sole purpose, its construction lightning fast and equally ramshackle as a result. Ragnvald the Wolf, second in command of the ice wolves turned out to be an imposing young man, the son of a high mountain grain farmer who lost everything in a string of bad winters. He was harsh and fierce, but pledged his loyalty to the young nobles none the less for he had seen many of his troop starve in the desolate winters of the north. The guard of Arendelle began the long and arduous task of turning a band of petty criminals into something resembling soldiers, although if it were not for the constant intervention and advice from a certain Magician, progress would have been rocky at best.

Lord Dunlain had never felt as though his pay was so well earned as over the next month as he screamed at, cajoled, doused with water and in a few cases executed, the swarthy bandits. Desperately attempting to bring them up to fitness and discipline.

It was a long month in the hidden valley.


	7. Summer budding

Elsa’ nightmares had been slowly becoming more indistinct over the last month or so, the specific flashbacks and memories giving way to unspecified feelings of dread. The Queen of Arendelle had almost begun to look forward to sleep again, once more seeing it as a respite from the stresses of the day’s work, and If she was being honest, for certain other reasons. When she found herself standing on the upper floor of her ice palace, surrounded by the two men whose faces would be burned into her memory for the rest of her days, she was almost surprised.

“You were acting in self defence. I know you're not a killer Elsa”

Elsa smiled, the familiar flutterings crawling across her chest at the sound of Anna’s voice. She looked across the room and saw her sister lounging on a bench wearing the same dress she had worn to the coronation, although it seemed to have been modified to have more of a neckline than Elsa remembered. Anna looked elegant, bored and absolutely gorgeous. The young princess quite literally drifted to her feet, and sashayed over towards Elsa, dismissing the static phantoms with a wave of her hand, turning them into so much smoke. Any dread lingering in the pit of Elsa’s stomach vanished, replaced instead with a low needy feeling, a growing desire and so much shame.

Anna must have caught her expression because her expression softened away from naked lust, towards concern.

“Hey, Elsa? Talk to me.”

A thousand thoughts ran through Elsa’s mind at once, shame and guilt at the forefront, a need to protect Anna from herself, the sinful nature of who and what she was. This wasn’t who Anna was, she was sweet and innocent, a pure love, and here was Elsa corrupting her into being just as much of a monster as she was.

Apparently Anna could also read minds.

“Oh-hoho, nono. I’m not corrupted silly, this is me. I’ve always been like this. I have always wanted you.”

The last word was a whisper straight into Elsa’s ear, causing her to have a full body reflexive shiver. None of this was doing anything good for Elsa’s composure, and if she wasn’t careful they were going to have another repeat of that _other_ dream. Elsa was far too asleep to lie.

“Anna, we can’t. This is wrong, I need to stop thinking about you like… this. As nice as this is.”

Anna kept moving, making slow circuits around Elsa, dancing about her in a mockery of ballroom dancing, her shoulders and hips gyrating in a strange fusion of the spanish styles they had been taught when they were fourteen. Anna was clearly trying to be seductive, and it was working rather effectively if Elsa’s deepening blush was any indication. Her voice was deepening into husky tones.

“Do you want me Elsa?”

“We can’t”

Elsa’s arousal was growing slowly out of control and she found herself reflexively wiggling her hips, her posture rising and sinking in some crude imitation of a dance, her hands and arms clutched tightly to her body.

“Not the question I asked silly bean. Answer the question Els”

Her tone was insistent, her expression lidded and flushed.

“...Yes.”

Elsa’s answer was a ghost escaping her lips.

“Then what’s the harm? Just here, just like this?”

“You don’t want this”

Anna giggled, he smile radiant, her posture relaxed, and Elsa found herself mere inches away from Anna’s face, watching every freckle. Anna put her arms over her sister’s shoulders their bodies swaying in time to the dance. 

_Read my mind_

Elsa blinked, the thought wasn’t hers. It was decidedly Anna’s, it _tasted_ like Anna, there really wasn’t any other explanation. Elsa squinted at her sister trying to put herself into her head, as impossible as it sounded. She found Anna’s thoughts opening up before her like a book, and the well of overwhelming love she found was almost blinding. Almost every thought Anna had was of Elsa, and her mind was drenched in arousal. One thought stood out amongst all the others. _I want THIS_. Anna’s thoughts coalesced into words.

“We can’t hurt anyone here, we can be free. So what do you want?”

If Elsa had any resolve left, it fled at that point. She knew deep down that from this point on Anna would be her dream lover and strangely she couldn’t find it in herself to care. The hell with the rules, she had let go of her fear once before, and she could do it again. She lifted her gaze to lock eyes with Anna and reached up to the clasp on her cloak. It fell to the floor in a whisper of silk and broken promises.

As the scene changed to Anna’s room again, Elsa scooped her younger sister up in her arms and carried her to the bed, their faces coming together for a passionate kiss. They fell into the bed, their bodies moving together seamlessly in the dream like state. The two lovers slithered against one another, making out in a messy fashion, their breasts and nipples causing pulses of excitement as they contacted one another. Elsa’s hands ran across her sisters form, desperate to feel, to touch what she had been denying herself for so long, although she couldn’t help but shake the slight feeling that this was all familiar somehow. She stopped for a moment gazing down at the younger royal suddenly uncertain of where to go now, Anna’s face was flushed and she was panting heavily. Everything else was wiped away, all she could feel was her bed sheets and Anna underneath her, the room had long since been subsumed by darkness and all other aspects of the dream had fallen away.

“What do… what do I do?”

Elsa flushed at her question, but Anna just grinned.

“Come here, sit like this, facing me.”

Anna sat, legs akimbo, back slightly arched and Elsa flushed at how sexy and mildly obscene the pose was. At some point they had both managed to become completely naked, giving elsa an extremely lewd view of his sisters flawless body, her rouge freckles dusting her shoulders and breasts, almost glowing in the light of the jeweled pendant she was wearing. Her eyes however were almost forcibly dragged downwards towards Anna’s glistening core so lewdly on display. Anna clicked her tongue and looked away bashfully, as Elsa stared unabashedly.

“You're beautiful”

Elsa forced her eyes away from her lover’s sex, and tried to mimic her position. Anna leaned forwards and whispered at her older sister.

“Ready for some Mantis Position?”

Anna’s voice was partly teasing, partly lust as they moved together, their sexes gliding across each other's upper thighs in a delicious and intimate movement. Elsa found herself just for a moment to ask.

“Where… ha.... Ahhh, where did you learn thi- Ah!”

“Shh.” Anna grinned impishly in between her own panting exertions. “Ah A girl’s ah, hah. Gotta ha-have some secrets.”

The feeling of her body against Anna was driving Elsa crazy, the delicious sliding sensation was wonderful, and Elsa let out a needy whine. She wanted, no needed more and the feel of her most intimate place against her sister’s leg was heavenly, but she knew there was more. Anna shifted, sliding her thigh out from under Elsa who all but sobbed at the loss of contact, before hooking her leg over to the outside. Elsa reflexively rocked her hips, desperate for continued contact and was rewarded with a delicious warm feeling as Anna pushed their hips together. The sensation of rubbing her most sensitive area’s against her sister’s slick mirror was more than she could take, her climax building rapidly as their voices joined together. The last scraps of the dream faded to ribbons as the waves of orgasm swept across Elsa, her younger sister peaking shortly after. The last words Elsa heard as she awoke, shouting into her pillow sounded like golden music in her ears, her sisters hoarse cry as she came, pressing hard onto her sex.

“FUCK. I Love you! FUCK”

As Elsa laid in bed, slick with sweat and pleasure, she panted heavily, newly half awake. She felt awkwardly stuck between being aroused and spent, and she groaned as she slipped a hand between her legs. Elsa desperately sought out her nub, the magical centre of her recent discoveries and fervently stroked herself, images of Anna swimming in her mind. She climbed rapidly again towards an orgasm she knew would be somehow not quite enough, for no matter how much she stroked and gently twisted her nipples, no matter how she fingered her soft folds it wasn’t Anna. Elsa came hard, a picture of Anna’s face nestled between her legs on her mind.

Sleep came easily to Elsa, and for once, despite the crashing waves of guilt and shame that she knew she should be feeling, she just did not give a damn. Right now she was happy and tomorrow could sort its own damn self out.

\-----------

Elsa awoke feeling lighter than air, albeit very mildly sore, and sighed gently running a finger over the obvious space in her bed next to her. It had all been a dream, a wonderful sinful decadent dream. She could no longer deny the truth, she was completely besotted with her little sister, utterly infatuated in the most extreme manner possible. She supposed that the knowledge should make her ashamed and guilty again, as it had but a handful of days ago when she last dreamed like this, and yet the guilt was mild by any definition. If she was sick then she would simply bear the burden, she had borne worse before, and that without Anna’s assistance. This time she wouldn’t shut her out.

Of course there was still an idle question in Elsa’s mind.

_I must be more deviant that even I had imagined. I had no idea that you could do such things with another woman._

Her thoughts drifted towards the book which contained a great deal of information about all of the things a woman could do with another of their sex. Tantalizingly close, one room over. All she had to do was find time to retrieve it and read it in peace.

_Perhaps there might be something useful in there. I doubt the library would have had something with no merit to it at all._

Elsa knew she was just convincing herself, but she was inordinately curious. The thought rolled around and around in her mind as she went down for breakfast. Elsa wondered briefly about some of the strange looks she was getting from the Royal Guard in the halls as she went down to breakfast, but she brushed it off as perhaps being related to Anna’s decision to pull the royal guard from around Amaranths room. Stoic men of duty, the guard were still proud men who took their jobs extremely seriously and she knew that they would be ruffled quite badly by something which seemed to question their competence.

No. There was definitely something else going on. Breakfast appearances did not usually result in the tittering of maidstaff and her sisters eyes nearly falling out of her skull. Elsa looked down with a dawning horror. She had, since acquiring her magical immunity to cold, never actually considered it to be a downside as such, merely perhaps an occasional talking point. Today however it would appear her magic had well and truly betrayed her. Luckily her negligee was sufficiently long to actually cover her panties, and the powder blue silk wasn’t a truly scandalous lace option. The bust was… well there really wasn’t any other way to describe it other than “revealing”. Two tiny straps and an immodest chunk of sheer fabric was all that existed between the Queen of Arendelle and near total nudity. She had to agree privately that her figure did look rather statuesque in the combination of ice heels and nightwear, but this was definitely NOT what she had intended to walk out of her room wearing.

The maids and butlers fled with the barest of withering glances and a curt nod, as Elsa’s mind rapidly went into survival mode. She was simply going to have to be utterly regal, and pretend that this was intentional. Easy. Breakfast with her drop dead stunning sister whilst half naked, the morning after… well. Anna had still not recovered her composure when Elsa slid herself into the seat next to her, doing everything in her power to look calm and composed.

“Good morning Anna. I trust you slept well?”

“Hngrn? I mean, Hmm? Yes, hello, what?”

Anna had been clearly distressed by Elsa’s state of undress when she walked in, and now that she was sitting down at the breakfast table she could see that her sister was still uncomfortable. She had been staring at Elsa’s cleavage with a strange expression on her face which Elsa could only take to be distaste or perhaps envy.

“I could conjure an ice dress if it would make you feel more comfortable?”

Elsa asked, eager to handle the strange scenario quickly and efficiently, but Anna practically jumped out of her skin.

“NO, no it’s ok. It doesn’t bother me, I mean we’re sister’s right? I’ve seen you in sleeping clothes before, it’s no biggy. Haha, hah. So. Bacon?”

The meal passed rather more rapidly than usual, Anna wolfing down her food rather than stopping to dawdle and talk as she normally would. In spite of her slightly strange behaviour she seemed to be in an excellent mood, although she rebuffed all of Elsa’s attempts to start a conversation.

“Did you sleep well Anna?”

That question had elicited a blush and a double thumbs up, but no actual words, followed by Anna not meeting her eyes.

“How have your studies been going? Learn anything fun recently?”

“Oh. Good. Y’know. Queen stuff. Boring same old. Not that you are boring of course! No. The studies. Yep, boring boring.”

Anna was definitely acting strangely, Clearly Elsa’s state of undress was affecting her more than she had thought. She still felt saddened that it was so obviously not to be between them, but she had hoped Ana could at least be comfortable around her as a sibling. Perhaps it was best this way, there would be less temptation after all. Elsa sighed and tried one last tack to get her sister talking to her, a nice neutral topic.

“Read any good books lately?”

Elsa leaned forwards, her hands supporting her head, her features the picture of rapt attention. Anna paused halfway through a hot chocolate pastry. One of the melted chips of chocolate forming a slight drip down her mouth as she stared, slightly gawping. Whatever had gotten into Anna this morning, she absolutely did not want to talk to her big sister, that much was clear, Elsa thought sourly. She could see Anna’s mind working away at a response, clearly trying to formulate an answer that wouldn’t offend her.

“Uhh. Marriage… stuff? Regency law?”

Anna eventually, almost literally, choked out, before downing a glass of water to help the pastry along.

“Look, Elsa, I have a thing. With some of the counts. Yep, and it can’t wait. They’re worried about the ice wolves again, and how all the bandits seem to have up and vanished. I’ll talk later ok? I promise.”

_If I’m that repulsive to look at, then yes, run away. I’m I’ll and I will only hurt you._

Elsa’s inner monologue was unpleasant and poisonous, and it took a great effort of will to shake it loose, although she still felt a twinge of guilt at using her training for such a thing.

_I will have to be better dressed around Anna in future. I pushed too far it would seem._

Elsa finished breakfast at a leisurely pace after conjuring herself a modest ice dress. Whilst she had some of the wind taken out of her sails, she felt still somewhat at peace. It was painful to need to bank her feelings for Anna, but she had never expected anything else. Her feelings had to remain a fantasy, an alluring impossible deviant fantasy. 

\-----------

By late afternoon the servants had finished turning down all of the rooms in the castle, and Elsa was certain that her old bedroom would be empty. The halls were packed with royal guard still, and likely would for at least a few weeks yet, and Elsa was keen to avoid simply demanding they let her pass, it would raise all manner of awkward questions. She did however have a plan. Feigning a light headache she retired early to her room and had her personal maid bring her lunch up, instructing that she was not to be disturbed. Having secured time alone Elsa put her plan into motion. She swiftly crossed the floor of her giant royal suite and made for the french windows onto her private balcony. A brief burst of magic and an icy ladder provided an easy route up to the sloped roof, and across the main body of the hall. The castle towers were almost always unoccupied since the country was at peace and had little to fear from a sneak attack, so Elsa had no real concerns about being spotted as she picked her way carefully across the roof. She had dismissed her shoes about halfway up the ladder, realising that heels would be a definite mistake for what she was attempting. As she reached the other side of the roof she had a brief swimming moment of vertigo looking down the four storey drop. Another enchanted ice ladder later and Elsa was standing on the balcony of her old bedroom, peeking in through the window. Finding the room empty to her satisfaction Elsa unlocked the door with her old key, slipping into the room.

The return journey was a lot simpler, the book safely stowed in an ice satchel over her shoulder, her steps given flight by the joy of mischief. Elsa couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she scrabbled across the roofing back to her room. Closing the door and dismissing the last of her magic she clutched her prize to her chest. The next twenty minutes were spent propped up in bed feverishly reading the aged tome from the first page. The young monarch was surprised reading the first few pages, this book was a detailed and clear manual for what a young woman’s intimate parts look like, how they should be cleaned and maintained and what they can do. There was even a chapter heading on childbearing and childbirth, as well as ways to avoid common ailments related to such. If the information presented was accurate, this book was a goldmine for any young woman.

The second half of the book however, was the likely reason that Elsa had neither heard of, or ever seen, this book before. It was a complex and detailed treatise on women who sought to love and court other women, from tips and tricks to help gauge potential interest to advice on hiding from less understanding people. Sandwiched in the middle of this section was a series of highly detailed drawings for suggested methods to safely consummate your love with another female partner. Elsa found herself growing escalatingly hot and bothered as she read the detailed descriptions of the positions and moves. It had all started so simply, with a description of kissing in the french style and its benefits in health, vitality and finding someone sexually compatible, with a side note that between two female partners shifting the torso could result in a pleasurable experience of breasts rubbing together.

Elsa really couldn’t help herself but let her hands wander under her dress, especially as the second picture detailed personal pleasure. Effective and healthful methods for ensuring the continued correct function of the female anatomy was the subtitle, and the entire treatise described the process as natural and healthy. Elsa’s questing fingers found her hooded button between her legs, right where the picture described it as being and was rewarded with a soft pleasurable feeling, discovering it was named the clitoris. It appeared as though this section of the book was rather heavily used, and if the sensations Elsa was feeling were any indication she could see why. Following the book’s instructions she carefully slipped a finger inside, rapidly stroking her clit with her thumb and lightly stroking her nipple with her other hand. She shuddered at the wonderfully pleasurable sensations crawling across her body, and she reached her climax rapidly, images of Anna’s mouth pressed all over her body filling her mind.

After the last waves of orgasm had cleared she noticed she was still uncomfortably sensitive, and her hands were stiff and slightly creaky in their response. She had a moment of panic and glanced over at the old book laid open before her.

_A strong, almost painful pleasure afterwards is not uncommon and should pass. Hands should be gently flexed and massaged to remove any lingering stiffness or pain. Well that’s reassuring._

As elsa stared at the book from the slightly odd angle, laying on her bed staring at the spine she noticed a dash of colour, a small piece of fabric or thread lodged in one of the brass corner protectors. It was a tiny chunk of icy blue, almost green fabric. Elsa washed her hands quickly in the attached bathroom before returning to the book and examining the brass guard. It had been damaged at some point, and had a faintly sharp edge. Clearly at some point it had snagged some fabric and it was now lodged underneath the brass. Elsa fished it out with a letter opener, and examined the speck of fabric noting it was silk, threaded with gold. There were a very limited number of people in the kingdom who could afford such a luxury, and only one person Elsa knew who had recently had an icy blue dress shirt repaired for damage to the sleeve. All of her sister’s dresses were threaded with gold after all, it was traditional.

Elsa dropped the book gently on the bed and let it fall open before her revealing a page about Tribadism that she had seen before.

_No. This book couldn’t have belonged to Anna. No. It’s not possible._

Elsa scanned the page and started turning back to where she was previously, before stopping cold. The picture showed two young ladies sat facing one another, astride each others legs, the heading read “Mantis position”. The text along the side was a detailed description of how to get into the pose, and a note mentioning that it was easy to change to tribadism with a very small degree of effort. Elsa really wasn’t sure how to process any of this information, something in her life was suddenly very, very strange.

\-----------

Anna pulled back the hood on her dark green cloak and glanced around. The north tower was completely deserted this late in the day, especially since those mysterious renovations had been ordered by her sister and the new Royal Astrologer. Anna figured someone would tell her what they were about eventually, but for now the dark and silent tower had plenty of rooms in which she could be alone.

Anna threw her cloak off onto a dust sheet covered lump, some kind of stuffed furniture by how squishy it was, before un-slinging her satchel and placing it gently on her cloak. Inside the leather shoulder bag was quite possibly Anna’s second favorite book in the world, a handsome leather tome embossed with golden lettering _Apprentice Sorcery_. She turned the book to a page deep within and propped it open on her cloak, her other hand reaching into her blouse and fishing out her other secret prize, the faintly glowing red gem nestled in the golden heart shaped cage, pulsing slowly to her heartbeat. Anna was certain that it had been inert when she started wearing it, the decision to steal the precious gem a surprise even to her. Now it most definitely was magically active in some way, and her heart could scarcely bear the thought of being parted with it. She wasn’t even sure what had possessed her to put it on in the first place, although the book before her did have a couple of paragraphs on the matter of magical items. It had mostly suggested that they were a bad idea in general, but this one seemed harmless enough.

 _Besides, It allows me to do this_ Anna adopted the pose she had come to think of as “channeling”, her feet light on the floor, posture relaxed but hands down to one side, before sliding into an upright position, one leg cocked at a right angle, foot resting on her inner leg. Flames crackled into life along her arms and into being in her hands. Anna grinned in the newly lit darkness as she felt the flow of magic in the world around her, hot and filled with passion and desire.

_I’m getting super good at this. Elsa is going to be thrilled when I show her at midsummer._

\-----------

The letter was, ostensibly anonymous. Of course, anonymity only meant so much given the content, and that content made Elsa furious.

_‘Your Most Gracious Royal Majesty,  
It is with a heavy heart that we feel the need to remind you of your royal duties to your people, and your throne. You are required to marry and produce an heir for the stability of the kingdom, and the continued good of the land. It is well known that his most benevolent Lordship, Duke Eyjolf Almdlir would be by far the most blessed choice and as such we find our hands forced by your persistent inaction. It would be in the kingdom’s greatest interests and your own to publicly announce your engagement to the fine and upstanding Duke of Almdlir by the close of the week. With the succession of the throne so vulnerable at the moment many are keen to avoid tragedy and should something happen to Anna the consequences would be beyond dire. We are certain that you understand our meaning clearly in this matter, for Anna is a delicate flower and your affection for her is not secret. We expect your public response and compliance.’_

There was no “Or Else” in the letter but the intent was absolutely crystal clear, and it chilled Elsa’s blood. Someone, and she had a fairly good idea who, had just threatened her sister with assassination if she did not simply fold and marry that conniving pustule of a Duke.

“THAT BLOATED SAC OF VOMIT! I WILL TEAR HIS THROAT OUT WITH MY BARE HANDS!”

Elsa was in her Royal Chambers, alone, the door sealed tight and an expensive draft excluder wedged across the bottom to further drown out her ranting. They were famously soundproof, but there were limits Elsa suspected. She was screaming full force at one of the outside walls, her voice thick with fury.

“I WILL FREEZE HIS PRECIOUS PARTS CLEAN OFF! SEE HOW HE LIKES A SPIKE OF SOLID ICE STRAIGHT THROUGH THE HEART!”

Each pronouncement was punctuated by elsa conjuring up a ball of snow and hurling it at the wall with all of her might. Her bedroom had accumulated an impressive layer of snow as a result, and had Elsa been seeing anything other than seething rage she would have been impressed with her restraint at not using huge chunks of ice. Some of her experiments had resulted in actual damage to parts of the castle which were hugely expensive to fix. 

“Bastard. Blaggard. Festering Sack of Worthless Cum. Cock Head.”

Elsa’s fury was beginning to subside, as if she was being honest, was her litany of useful swear-words. She would soon be down to simply repeating the word fuck over and over in a futile attempt to make herself feel better. She silently resolved to see if she couldn’t loiter near the guard barracks more often to expand her vocabulary a bit, the sheer comedy in the mental image helping her to calm herself as she snorted once with laughter. She looked down again at the cursed piece of parchment in her hands, the heavy paper evidently expensive but betraying no specific origin, the handwriting neat and clipped. It looked like almost every single other piece of administrative paper Elsa had ever seen before, except for its damnable contents. She really was going to have to get a Royal Spymaster, but who in the name of the Gods did you pick for a role like that? She was simply going to have to make do with what she had.

\-----------

Elsa had convened what few in her council she knew she could trust, Baron Havriggar, Count Androff Kolm and of course the redoubtable Lord Dunlain, although the latter did not have any kind of vote or sway. If the noble members of this gathering had any reservations about conducting their meeting in an out of the way dining chamber deep in the south wing they kept it to themselves, although the appearance of Elsa’s so called Royal Astrologer raised Count Kolm’s eyebrows. Elsa laid the letter out before her miniature council, letting Havriggar read it aloud to stunned uncomfortable silence. Androff was the first to speak, although it had looked as though the Magician was going to speak first, but he inclined his head instead and settled back into his seat.

“I can’t say I’m surprised your Majesty. Your hostage rescue stunt, whilst wildly welcome and excellently executed, has made your real enemies desperate.”

He held the note distastefully. Androff Kolm was a rotund, older man in his 50’s, clean shaven but for a handlebar mustache his hair had otherwise long since given up and joined the clergy, giving him a near perfect monk cut.

“I think we can all agree the… provenance of this note is not in question. Is marrying another duke or prince on the table? Perhaps an engagement?” 

He looked at Elsa who shook her head sadly. 

“And you are determined to defy the man I presume.”

Kolm looked sympathetic, and Elsa felt herself slightly warming to the elderly count. She nodded firmly this time, raising an eyebrow to indicate he should get on with it.

“Then I see no real path forward sadly. We have no legal proof, the best we can do is inform the royal guard and put out some agents to check for people attempting to recruit assassins.”

Elsa rubbed her temples with her fingertips.

“Have you any such agents Count?”

“A couple” he admitted gruffly. “I could be persuaded to reallocate a few resources. You did recover something wonderfully precious to me after all.”

His smile was somewhat more genuine than his words let on, and Elsa gave him a short warm smile in return. She turned to Lord Dunlain and the Magician next.

“Can you guarantee my sister’s safety?” She nodded at Lord Dunlain.

“I will co-ordinate with the Royal Guard your Majesty, but should anyone attempt a conventional attack against Arendelle I would give us solid odds with just our martial supplies. We sent out the call for the militia when Queen Anna declared martial law, and the regiments have been raised without incident. They have had a solid couple of weeks of training by now, so they are at least capable. The Ice wolves are…” He looked uncertain.

“Honestly Majesty, they frighten me a little. We gave them the right incentive and they are just lapping it up, falling over themselves to earn their pardons and gain discipline. They are without a doubt the most dangerous regular unit we now possess, and they seem absolutely loyal, further no-one knows they exist. Their skills in the hills and woods are also impressive and we have the huntsmen training them further in provisioning and stealth.”

He looked less certain as he continued however.

“As for an assassination attempt… The royal guard are excellent at what they do, but assassins are wild cards, with just too many variables. I cannot say. It is far better to deal with the source, and quickly.”

Elsa’s expression was crestfallen when she looked to the Magician, her own wild card. Strangely he looked relaxed, his eyes fixed on the letter, although he looked up when Elsa prompted him.

“Magician?”

“I can say that anyone attempting to kill your sister whilst she is under my protection will find themselves in for something of a surprise.”

His nonchalance took Elsa by surprise. 

“I cannot protect her from everything in this world, but a stray assasin I can almost certainly handle. It should of course be her decision to risk herself such.”

Elsa thought back to their conversation about marriage, and Anna’s firm words on the subject.

“I believe she is of the same mind as I. but yes, you raise a good point. Count Kolm, if you would be kind enough to see to your agents? And Lord Dunlain, please take that letter to the captain of the Royal Guard, he needs to be aware of the threat.”

As Elsa dismissed her small circle of allies, she reflected on how good it was to have people she could at least tentatively call friends within the halls of power. The feeling of having at least a few people she could trust held back the horrid constricting bands of panic as she went in search of her sister, to deliver the news that someone soon might be on their way to kill her. The mere thought of it caused silent tears to run down Elsa’s face.

\-----------

 

Elsa finally caught up with Anna in the small royal office which Elsa herself normally used for signing paperwork. The well appointed little office had been one of her father's favourite places to works and as Queen both daughters had found out why, It was nestled securely between several thick supporting pillars and walls. The silence in the office was near absolute despite being in the heart of the castle and all but next door to the council chambers and throne room. Anna was slumped in the chair listlessly reading paperwork, her expression bored to tears. Anna brightened immediately when she noticed Elsa in the doorway, summer breaking all over her face. The two swiftly crossed the room into a close embrace.

“Anna.”

Elsa’s voice was watery, but filled with love.

“Elsa”

Anna’s voice was a mirror to her older sister.

“I have news of the Duke’s plans.” Elsa’s wretched tone caught Anna off guard slightly and she motioned them to sit, moving two of the antique dark wooden chairs close together. The study was quiet, a fire unnecessary this deep in summer even in the chilly castle. They sat, so close their knees touched, Anna leaning forwards a look of loving concern on her face, one hand resting gently on Elsa’s shoulder. Elsa spoke, haltingly.

“He sent me an ultimatum. A warning.”

“Screw him!” Anna interjected brashly, nodding enthusiastically.

“Anna!” Elsa said sharply, causing her sister to pause, her face falling.

“He threatened you. If I don’t publicly announce my engagement to him by the end of the week…”

“What?” Anna suddenly looked small and vulnerable.

“The letter was not exactly precise, but the intent was clear. I marry him or… or you… you die.”

The last words came out a bare whisper, her face a picture of misery. Anna’s expression hardened, and she slid herself into Elsa’s lap, wrapping her arms around her sister, whispering soothing nothings as they hugged. They sat that way, time passing slowly but pleasantly, the shock of Elsa’s admission sinking in. It was all becoming too real, too urgent, a desperate sensation of impending doom threatening both of their happiness and lives. Anna broke the silence first.

“I don’t care.”

Elsa looked as though she was about to interrupt but her sister silenced her with a finger to the lips.

“I made up my mind. I’m tired of living for other people. Always doing what’s expected of me, worrying all the time. We, are going to live Elsa, all bright and shiny.”

Anna’s face was animated and warm.

“We are going to wring every last inch of joy out of being alive, and we are going to do right by as many people as we can, kay? Otherwise what’s the point?”

“I can’t live without you Anna.” Elsa whispered.

“But you can’t live married to that Duke can you?” Anna asked, stroking Elsa’s hair, clearly mulling over her mildly startling admission. Elsa shook her head sadly.

“We have guards. We have the people of Arendelle. We have each other. We have to try Els.”

Elsa managed a faint smile, kissing Anna’s knuckles. Her breathing was shaky.

“I feel guilty risking your life. I don’t even have a plan, not really.”

“Don’t feel guilty Els. you deserve to marry the person you love, not some scheming villain. You helped rescue me from Hans, I have to try.”

 _Marry the person you love_ Elsa thought. _Chance would be a fine thing. You don’t even know how I feel. Your sick perverted sister._

Elsa’s eyes caught Anna’s left sleeve, the obvious tangle of golden thread marking a tiny repair. The seamstress had sewn a small square of fabric to patch a hole in the bottom of the sleeve, the golden thread in the form of a crocus. A dangerous, daring idea darted across Elsa’s mind.

“I can’t. I can’t marry the person I love.”

Anna pulled back slightly and looked at Elsa, her face unreadable. Her expression twisted into puzzlement.

“Why not?”

“What if… What if it wasn’t a he that I wanted to marry.”

Her younger sister looked shocked by the quiet admission.

“Elsa? Are you- Are you telling me you are… homosexual? A lesbian?”

Elsa stared into Anna’s face, searching, seeking for any sign of disgust, hate, fear or other emotions she knew should be there. Anna’s face simply scrunched up with an expression of love, as though she had seen an incredibly cute animal or wonderful dress she liked. She let out an adorable squeal as she hugged Elsa tightly.

“Aww, Elsa! Who is she? Is she a maid? One of those foreign princesses coming over for the ball? Oooh oh, oh no. Is it Rapunzel?”

Anna was excitedly babbling watching Elsa’s face closely, clearly trying to divine some meaning from her series of escalatingly shocked facial expressions.

“Anna!” Elsa almost squealed, her face flushing to a deep shade of red. “I don’t… No. I… it’s not anyone like that.”

“But you are a lesbian though?” Anna asked gently, Elsa realising that her sister had excellently maneuvered her into a position where admitting the truth would be incredibly easy for her.

“I am.” Elsa admitted quietly, a grin lacing its way across her features as she felt free’d by the admission. Anna let out another faint squeal and redoubled her hug.

“I knew it! Hah! Its Kaya the cute baker girl in the market isn’t it?” Anna needled her sister gently, a huge grin on her face. Elsa’s blush persisted and she covered her mouth with a hand, this conversation was rapidly getting out of hand.

“What do we do Anna?” Elsa asked, her brief moments of happiness, faltering as she remembered the real cause of her meeting. Anna nuzzled into her neck, her breathing steadying as her laughter subsided.

“Tell him to go to hell. He can eat his own head before I’ll give him the satisfaction.”

Elsa vowed to do just that, she could see the letter she was going to write taking form in her mind already. Eyjolf was not going to enjoy reading it.


	8. Watering Can required

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluffy doom. DOOM.
> 
> This chapter might be painful if you have a hugely soft heart. So be warned. No sex warnings needed.

It was a thursday, and by chance one of the few days of the week that was historically a rest day for the royal family of Arendelle, and Queen Elsa was doing everything she could to cheer herself up after the near disaster that was yesterday. She had few concrete memories or thoughts about what happened the previous day that were not linked directly to the horror of receiving the letter. And now, she had the uncomfortable task of trying to put it out of her mind and move forwards with her life. She had written the letter to the Duke that morning, and it sat, unsigned and unsealed in a locked drawer in her private desk, taunting her. To sign it and send it was almost tantamount to taking out a bounty on her sister’s life herself, and Elsa had been unable to do it. She would, she resolved simply let the ultimatum run out naturally, and then a few days past the deadline send her reply. If her sister’s freedom and safety could be bought for a few days with her cowardice then that was an excellent trade.

Breakfast that morning had been a staggeringly pleasant affair, with Anna and Elsa arriving at almost precisely the same time for a change, Anna with young Amaranth in tow, her eyes agog at the royal dining room, and the piles of food laid out. Since neither royal had anywhere to be that day, or indeed anything to sign they had taken their time over breakfast, chatting about nothing in particular and entertaining their small guest. Amaranth had started to come out of her shell somewhat in the last day or so, the constant presence of the relaxed chattery maids and the steady rhythm of life in the castle apparently helping to heal some of her mind's injuries after her long imprisonment. Anna had especially taken a shine to the young girl as Elsa discovered that morning, and had apparently been spending snatches of time with her whenever her ludicrously busy schedule had allowed. Being a big sister, or mother, suited Anna it appeared, and Elsa’s heart glowed and ached in equal measure as they spoiled the little girl with chocolate pastries and hugs. Amaranth had sneezed unexpectedly at one point, smearing chocolate all over her face. This was apparently a serious problem for her fragile emotional state and the young girl simply burst into tears.

Anna had thrown half a chocolate pudding at Elsa in response.

The sobbing had stopped immediately as absolute silence reigned, save for the uniform quiet gasps from the assembled serving staff. Elsa sat, her face an unreadable mask of shock as the temperature in the room dropped a couple of degrees briefly, chocolate sauce dripping down her face and dress. With absolute regal poise she had risen from her seat, the absolute picture of furious grace and slighted royalty.

And hooned an entire lemon flan at Anna, the floppy pastry catching her flabbergasted sister clean in the face. Amaranth was so confused she simply broke out into peals of laughter as Anna began scooping up miniature pastries and hurling them at her sister whilst cowering for cover behind the silver multi layered stand which held the breakfast meats. Anna had aimed a tiny cinnamon swirl at Amaranth and with a wink, flicked it at the young girl’s chest, the flaky pastry exploding on contact with her clothes. Well, that had apparently been the last straw, as the room exploded into chaos, the hyperactive nine year old tearing around hurling food at anyone and everyone indiscriminately. The staff had tried to hold their composure briefly, in a valiant effort, although that had lasted all of seconds once Amaranth had begun targeting them with sausages. They had tried to defend themselves with salad plates, desperately swatting at the meaty projectiles, whilst descending into a fit of the giggles themselves at the sheer farce of it all. In the end Elsa had been forced to team up with her beleaguered servants to repel the breakfast based aggression of Amaranth and Anna, although it wasn’t long before they beat a hasty retreat to the adjoining preparation room, their meagre ammunition of sandwiches no match for the royal feast. Anna had betrayed Amaranth at the last moment and dumped a bowl of custard on her head, before tickling her mercilessly to the ground,

It had been the most fun Elsa had ever had in her entire life, the sheepish but amused expressions on the castle staff warmed her heart as she gave them the rest of the day off with thanks. She wasn’t one to intentionally waste food, especially not food that was normally given to the staff and servants immediately after the royal breakfast, but this had clearly been a singular incident, and she had simply instructed the cooks to remake as much for themselves as they needed with her blessing, the staff would eat late perhaps, but they would eat like kings and queens.

Elsa was now stood in her study area in her bedroom, overlooking the royal gardens where Anna and Amaranth were running about in the gardens playing tag and screaming in the hot summer sun. Elsa’s love was fierce and unrelenting, and her heart wrenched at her inability to scream it from her lungs at the world. Even after her admission the other day, Anna still loved her and accepted her, in fact she hadn’t changed at all. Elsa now suspected her sister had known for some time that she was inclined towards the fairer sex, and her working theory was that she had found the scandalous book for her and was intending to put it somewhere Elsa could find it. It was so very like her.

And now, she had to plan the impossible. A birthday party for her sister. Anna was, without question, the most important person in Elsa’s life, and she loved the occasion of her birthday with passion and joy. Even during the darkest years after her parents death Anna’s birthday had been a magical time of granted wishes and light. The castle had been opened up and Elsa had graced Anna with a special visit, which, whilst brief for her safety had been magical none the less. Anna adored spending her birthdays as free as a bird, charging around town showing all of the local children with presents and food. Anna’s last birthday had been accidentally magical, due to a bout of enchanted flu, mere weeks after Elsa’s coronation, but they had muddles through somehow. Elsa’s mood darkened thinking back as she realised that the Duke had been kidnapping Amaranth at about that time, and starting this whole ridiculous set of events in motion, and she had still been mostly unaware of the threat to her realm.

The major impediment to this birthday was the need for security, any hope of Anna running about town free as a bird had been roundly dashed by the recent threats to her life. She could barely secure the palace gardens sufficiently for any manner of outdoors activity, there being as many high towers and windows as there were. According to most treatises on the subject she had been able to find, most assassinations occurred up close, where the assassin could guarantee killing their target, but professionals using Crossbows, or even Arbalests were not unheard of, killing from a huge range without any repercussions. And then there was the terrifying possibility of abduction or magical mischief to consider, no Anna’s birthday this year would have to bow to considerations of her safety. And at this rate the best she could do was a cake in a dungeon once the deadline for her engagement was done. Still she had another month to plan, and perhaps something would happen before the time was up and they were both all but forced into hiding.

\-----------

The mysterious deadline came and went, the young royals days proceeding as before, with few real surprises. Although a week after the deadline had passed Elsa did meet with several minor members of her council who wanted to quietly assure her that they would vote in her favour at the Midsummer diet if she wanted their support. She had made polite and diplomatic inquiries as to their apparent change of heart and they had intimated that the Duke had been rather boorish in his behaviour recently, and that Elsa herself had seemed much recovered in truth. She did not believe they were truly loyal by any stretch, but that they had decided hers was the winning side suddenly filled her with a ray of hope. Cracks were appearing in the conspiracy against her, and she vowed to redouble her efforts wining and dining the “maybe”s, as well as thanking Count Kolm profusely.

\-----------

The Count’s network of agents uncovered a potential assassin a few days later, a stranger in Arendelle town in possession of a large quantity of mysterious vials and herbal substances as well as an impressive array of knives, as well as a wicked curved sword of foreign aspect. When he was challenged by the Royal Guard he had sought to flee, and any doubt as to his profession had vanished after four of her men had turned up dead as a result of the chase. He was some manner of throwing knife expert it seemed, although he was not as resistant to crossbows as he had no doubt hoped. Elsa’s only regret was that he had not lived to be questioned, but the royal guard had scoured the town anyway in the vain hopes of finding a lead.

\-----------

Her father occupied with keeping the ice wolves in line and their training proceeding well, Amaranth continued to live up in the royal suite, her fear of the men in the castle ebbing away by the day. She had been taking some manner of potion provided by the Magician for a few weeks after her rescue and it had seemed to help, gently lifting her mood and allowing her to sleep at night, although it was not nearly as spectacular as the blue fairy dust he had used the first day. Anna and Amaranth had formed a solid bond, the young girls mischievous streak growing ten miles wide under the protecting wing of the acting Queen of Arendelle and Elsa found herself beginning to appreciate what life might have been like for her parents being on the receiving end of Anna. Her total inability to discipline the young girl only made Elsa love her sister more each day, even if it did mean that she was the one who had to patiently explain why the baby ducklings needed time with their mother and weren’t toys for the royal bathtub, or why the footmen might find being forced to crawl around for hours playing horsie to be demeaning. Amaranth for the most part took her lessons seriously and with grace, although Elsa couldn’t help but feel tested some times.

\-----------

It was coming up for the latter days of the month, several days after the unfortunate incident in Arendelle town and Elsa was dragging herself back through the castle to her throne room. There were formal meetings to attend with the families of the deceased royal guards, as well as a last few formal statements to make to some of her more far flung subjects who had arrived as soon as they had heard of the assassin. The citizenry had been abuzz with fury about the killer hiding in their midst, and upon hearing his intended target the country had almost exploded into open revolt. It was only Anna making a public appearance and appealing for calm that had averted a serious riot. Only Anna could cause such devotion in her people that they would vomit forth every petty criminal and vagrant in all of Arendelle for her safety. Elsa was tired and had run out of her already limited supplies of enthusiasm for dealing with people and so was stealthily prowling the less traveled passages and cutting through less used rooms to avoid conversation.

She was startled out of her semi conscious meandering by sudden squeals of surprise, and a distinctive musky scent assailing her nose. She had ducked into a supply closet to avoid a guard patrol she knew was coming and now… this.

Her mother's previous prohibition on hiring maid staff below the age of 40 had been quietly eased and indeed eliminated some time after their loss, as the castle bureaucracy sought to maintain less expensive staff. Indeed since the coronation, and the need to rebuild staffing levels up to their original operational levels they had hired something of an influx of young maids and serving girls. Elsa wasn't 100% familiar with most of them by name, but she knew them all by face at this point.

She now knew at least two of them by quite a bit more than their faces. Faces which were beet red, for two separate reasons, and streaming with tears. The maid who had been… Elsa flailed for a second… doing the kissing? Was the first to come forwards, trying to discreetly wipe her mouth and cover herself, whilst sinking to her knees. Her Kisee, however was closing her legs rapidly and rolled off the short table, desperately scrabbling for her skirts whilst sobbing.

“Your majesty! I can explain. Please.”

The poor woman's distress was utterly palpable and she was suddenly being really rather loud, as she clutched for Elsa’s dress.

“No. It’s ok. Please, stop crying. SHHHH!” She hoarsely whisper shouted, too late as the sound of metal boots on stone work picked up speed outside. Elsa reflexively froze the lock with a quick blast of ice before quickly applying a thin layer of ice over the young lovers mouths for but a moment. They were both utterly shocked into silence by the sudden magical display, although they were still sobbing silently, and in clear distress. Elsa massaged her temples with frosted fingers. It it wasn’t one problem, it was another. The patrol reached the closet door.

“Open up! Who’s in there? We heard screams!”

Elsa was still mulling her options briefly as the guards tried the door, only to discover it locked. Holding a finger to her lips and making eye contact with both maids Elsa answered slowly, but with an air of unmistakable authority.

“Its Queen Elsa. There is nothing wrong, one of the maids just dropped something unexpectedly.”

“Majesty?” There was obvious confusion on the other side of the door, as well as a fair bit of confusion on Elsa’s side as the maids finished dressing hurriedly and began quietly making the room look as normal as possible whilst avoiding eye contact with the queen. Their hysterics seemed to be calming rapidly now that the situation seemed to be moving away from disaster and the Queens bizarre choice to cover for their scandalous behavior. Homosexuality wasn’t exactly illegal in Arendelle, it simply wasn’t legally recognised at all in any capacity. The judges of the land had always considered it to be a temporary sin according to all of the major churches, and since that was the case, why bother legislating it at all? Many of the present religions and neighboring countries on the other hand were more strict, and their attitudes and culture did permeate the border more than Elsa would secretly like.

“Majesty we still need to come in. Your orders Majesty.”

_Blast_

“All right gentlemen, give me a moment to move this out of the way.”

Elsa gestured wildly to the skinnier of the two maids, the girl in the black food service outfit to stand behind the door. She pulled the other maid towards her and grabbed a pot off of the shelf, wrapped it in the girls skirts and shattered it silently with her magic. The maid squeaked quietly at the sudden blast of chilly air straight near her nether regions. Elsa mouthed an apology as she blushed furiously, although her subtle shiver did give Elsa some idea’s.

_Not the time you pervert, I don’t care how cute she is in that little frilly dress._

“Majesty”

The guards knocking was really quite insistent and she could hear a soldier being dispatched to raise the alarm. Elsa handed the shattered porcelain to the stunned looking young woman and turned to the cupboard door, unfreezing it and pulling it open. The Guard’s outside peered into the closet, the closest guard’s nose crinkling faintly, and a look of confusion passing his face.

“See Lieutenant? Nothing to worry about.”

Elsa gestured at the interior of the cupboard stepping out of the way of the guard, and faintly squishing the cowering service girl further into an already tight space, her hands and breasts pressing into Elsa’s back. The excitement of this situation really was starting to get to the queen and she could barely contain her blush. The maid pressed behind her whimpered almost silently, crushed as she was between a door, a shelf, and the buttocks of the gorgeous ice Queen of Arendelle. Apparently it was all too much for her as well, as Elsa felt the faintest of squeezes on her derriere. She decided to let it slide.

“This young maid accidentally broke a valuable vase and was distraught. I was comforting her, nothing to worry about at all.”

The guard did a last cursory glance of the room, eyes lingering on the broken pottery and the obviously distressed servant, but he seemed content with Elsa’s explanation, and since her royal majesty did not seem to be in obvious distress he withdrew. Elsa waited until the patrol had rounded the corner before closing the door again, and letting the two young ladies breathe again. Elsa smiled at them both.

“I’m very happy for you both, but might I suggest some of the store rooms in the south wing? They are rather less busy than around here. You might even be able to make use of the bedrooms in that area if you are crafty.”

They seemed stunned at Elsa’s pronouncement, but curtsied and hurried out rapidly, leaving Elsa to hope that this wouldn’t somehow find a way to cause problems down the road. She needed to replace an expensive pot for one.

\-----------

“Yes, but I’m just saying LT, I’ve been to a brothel or two, strictly for stag do’s and the likes, and I say I know what I could smell. Besides half her uniform was on wrong.”

“Do you know what they call men who say such things about her Majesty and a maid, son?”

“No sir.”

“Lets keep it that way, eh? And who cares anyway, at least she has good taste! She was a right looker eh lads? Now not a word about it, it never happened all right?”

“Yes sir.”

“That goes for the lot of you bastards as well, or you’ll be unemployed at best.”

\-----------

The incident in the supply closet had rolled around Elsa’s head for a couple of days now, and on at least one occasion her dreams although she would never admit it. That particular dream had been sensual and sweet, but it was ultimately unfulfilling as she felt no particular affection for the two young maids. She was busy trying to banish such thoughts from her head right now, images of Anna parading round in one of the tight black serving uniforms with the white frilly smock front, dancing around her brain.

Elsa was sat in her throne room, once again in her rightful place on the throne of Arendelle, with Anna sat at her left in defiance of tradition. She should have been standing, at Elsa’s right hand, but she had not had the heart to correct her sister, and it gave Elsa a dark thrill to pretend that she could sit in that throne someday. Harald the Wolf and his second, Ragnvald had returned from the hidden valley with a report on the state of the men in his service. Arendelle had secretly been supplementing their numbers with every criminal they had who wanted to serve and now the Ad-hoc unit consisted of near 400 men. They were trained and drilled enough to be a nasty shock even to a professional mercenary unit, and as a unit they were remarkably stealthy for a group of armed and now armoured men. Elsa hoped it would never come to an armed conflict, but if it did and she was somehow unable to quell it with her magic she wanted yet another secret weapon.

She had another reason for calling both men here today.

“Harald”

Elsa smiled warmly at the man after he had finished delivering his report, and she bade him come forward. They had dined together several times over the past few weeks, although very much in the formal sense at the evening meals, and she had come to trust the man. He reminded her quite firmly of Kristoff, if older and hardened against the horrors of the world.

“When we first met, you swore an oath of service to me, are you still of such a mind?”

The burly ex-bandit kneeled before the young Ice Queen, his greying black hair granting him an air of authority, the crossed scars across his face and slightly rheumy left eye marking him out as a warrior with a hard life. His voice was rich and baritone.

“I meant that Oath your Majesty. My life is yours, for any purpose you see fit. You have made an honest man of me.”

Elsa stood. She knew she was likely to upset some of the assembled nobility, but frankly she did not much care at this point. She motioned to Kai and addressed the room at large.

“Harald of Northwood, In recognition of your services and loyalty to the crown I would like to offer you a post in the Royal Household of Arendelle as a page and Knight Aspirant, do you accept?”

There was a faint gasp and whisper around the room at the proclamation. It was very uncommon for non nobles to become pages, although such a thing was hardly unheard of, but they were usually young boys or very young men. The process of adopting a page was used reasonably regularly as a reward for loyal members of the lower classes, guaranteeing their sons a shot at becoming true lesser nobility some day. Elsa had, in her non traditional fashion, applied it directly to the man.

Tears in his eyes, Harald held his position, his voice hoarse.

“I accept your Majesty.”

Elsa reached behind her to where Kai was waiting, the royal sword of Arendelle on a cushion in his hands. She locked eyes with her sister for a moment.

“With permission your Majesty?” Elsa asked, a mischievous grin on her face.

“Anything for you Elsa.” Anna replied, her voice slightly breathless, clearly taken with the emotion of the scene before her. Elsa turned and with great ceremony pulled the sword from its scabbard and touched the flat of the blade to the kneeling mans shoulder.

“Henceforce this man and his descendants are of House DeArendelle. So it is decreed.”

There was muted clapping around the room from the assembled nobility, clearly Elsa’s choice to name them a cadet branch had gone over well with some of the more traditional nobles as it put Harald firmly further down the pecking order.

“Rise Squire Harald DeArendelle and face your people.”

The newly minted junior knight rose and turned to face the room, the clapping rising in volume slightly after Elsa herself and begun clapping and glancing around the room. Time seemed to slow slightly for Elsa as she descended the steps to formally present the new knight to the room. She felt Haralds rough hands shoving her violently sideways, saw the guards around the room starting to react, hands flying for weapons at the speed of flowing clay.

As Elsa fell sideways, drifting gently through the air her eyes alighted on the assassin, standing on one of the galleries. Smoke exploding away from her, the shimmer in the air around her announcing her sudden arrival via magic. The crossbow was already raised, and pointed at Anna, the beautiful redhead sat exposed on her throne.

Elsa’s magic reacted violently and uncontrolled, a raw blast of ice rolling forwards, racing across the room but the bolt was already in mid air. There was a sick, wet thump as the bolt connected with flesh and skull.

Harald the wolf jerked violently backwards, his body twitching and spasming in its death throes as Elsa crashed into the floor, losing consciousness. Her last second of awareness was spared on her sister. Her face a mask of shock, and the Magician stood before her brandishing a shield across Anna’s face, a look of rising defeat on his features. Harald's body twitching its last on the steps, a bolt protruding from his eye socket.

Chaos crashed into being in the throne room. 

\-----------

Elsa awoke groggily, her vision filled with mailed boots and her ears with screams. She could hear familiar voices shouting commands and the clash of metal. The queen could taste blood and her head was filled with confusion. Everything felt as though it was made of spidery cotton and she could feel warm water running down her body. A hand took her head gently, and her face was turned softly to see the Magicians face, his expression haggard but hopeful. Sleep rushed in to claim her as she felt safe.

\-----------

Elsa’s eyes fluttered open, the now familiar sight of the silk swirls of the royal four poster bed above her, it was dark and the room was illuminated by the fire and candles based on the dancing yellow light playing across the fabric above her. Her entire body felt stiff and one of her eyes was slightly obscured by some kind of bandage, she was also held down by a warm weight. Elsa stirred, trying to prop her body onto her elbows, some of her memories returning.

The weight on her shifted, faint snoring betraying its nature. Elsa looked down, Amaranth was sleeping on her torso, her face ruined by crying, even in unconsciousness. She was being spooned by Anna, the normally fiery woman clearly exhausted and fast asleep. Evidently whatever had happened was long past by this point and Elsa would face it in the morning, she wrapped an arm around the two, and drifted back to sleep. 

\-----------

 

Elsa awoke to the dawn, the wriggling of other bodies urging her towards wakefulness, and she found Anna stretching languidly next to her in a sunbeam. She had never seen anything quite so beautiful, as the sun poured through the windows giving her an almost divine radiance. Even the small hand crudely grasping her face, one finger virtually up her nose couldn’t detract from the scene. Amaranth was squidged into her side, her mouth making indistinct “mMm’ing” noises, clearly talking in her sleep, her enchanted snow hamster asleep upside down in the crook of her right arm.

“Morning Elsa”

Anna’s voice was barely audible, her face showing obvious signs of strain.

“Morning Anna”

Elsa found herself suddenly very guilty, reminding her what had happened to leave them in such a state, the perfect little family scene existing only in her head as a ghost of a dream. Her guilt must have showed on her face, because Anna’s face fell and scooted closer to her sister bringing her into a warm hug.

“Shh. It’s ok Els, it wasn’t your fault.”

Anna’s eyes were glancing between trying to be supportive of her sister and concern for the young girl, her chestnut brown hair splayed across the bed. Weeks of excellent food and good hygiene had clearly had an impact, but grief was the worst poison and she looked sunken and reserved.

“Let’s not talk here, okay?” Anna whispered, pulling back from the hug and taking Elsa’s chin between her thumb and forefinger, the romance of the gesture not lost on Elsa. The urge to kiss her sister rose fiercely within her, she craved the reassurance of Anna’s love and for a moment she simply could not resist. Elsa leaned forwards, her lips parting beyond her control. She was dimly surprised by Anna’s reaction, her eyes shining with love as she simply waited. Elsa’s lips pressed softly into Anna’s warm skin, her cheek a gentle freckled curve, and Anna let out a content sigh at the content. The younger pulled her elder into a fierce hug, their arms tightly bound around one another as Elsa sobbed quietly into Anna’s shoulder.

Their embrace went on, longer than a simple hug for reassurance, each needing one another. They were interrupted by a quiet sniffle from the brunette, and Anna wordlessly pulled the girl into their embrace as well, wedging Amaranth onto Elsa’s lap and enveloping her in warmth and love.

The castle clock struck nine in the morning, the faintest susurrus of dozens of servants moving out at once drifting in through the open windows. Elsa would not relent on the cuddle however, all of them in desperate need of support and love. Amaranth continued to cry, her sniffles raising to high wailing sobs as the reality of her loss sank in further, her enchanted guardian Fuzz strutting around the bed growling and seeking any danger. It took almost an hour for the girl to stop crying. She looked up at Elsa, her amber eyes still brimming with fear and loss.

“I… I’m going to die aren’t I? I have nothing. I am nothing.”

Anna’s voice was firm but loving.

“No. Absolutely not. You, are a most special little girl, and I will protect you from everything I can.”

She ruffled Amaranths hair and beamed the girl a genuine smile.

“Elsa and I can take care of you, we can find you somewhere wonderful to live, with a family that loves you.”

Elsa nodded, her mouth twitching into a smile. The next words floored her.

“Can I live with you? I could use two mommies, I’m so sad.”

Elsa’s jaw ached and her heart went out to the young girl, she didn't even have to look at Anna to know her answer. There was simply no way they could, everything was so dangerous around them, to say nothing of the reactions the nobles would have if they were to adopt a peasant girl. Amaranth deserved a normal life with two normal parents who loved her and could give her all of their time, not a screwed up queen with dark fantasies about her own sister and… Anna.

“Of course you can.”

Elsa had been expecting Anna to say it anyway, and she was so utterly confident in this, that it had startled her when the words escaped from her own mouth first. For everything that Elsa feared and was uncertain about, about herself, about her feelings for Anna, about the nobility and their reactions, there was one thing she knew for certain. Anna was the best person she knew, the most wonderful human being she had ever met, and for all of her flaws, she would be a marvelous influence on the young girl. Elsa would have to be careful of course, but it was worth it for more days of Anna and Amaranth playing together outside in the warm sun.

Anna for her part was staring flabbergasted at Elsa, as though she was seeing her again for the first time. The look on her face was surprise and perhaps, awe as she whispered.

“Elsa. Thank you.”

Her sister, beaming with joy filled Elsa with a courage like nothing else. Even in her darkest moments, her ray of sunshine was unrelenting and filled her with hope. Even though they had no way out of their current predicament, and they were virtual prisoners in their own rooms Anna had refused to give up hope. Elsa meanwhile knew she was precipitously close to despair, her chest tightening and her vision crowding in around the edges every time she so much as thought about what they were going through. On top of her faintly throbbing head it was more than she could cope with right now. Her stomach growled it’s displeasure at how long it had been since she last ate, and they all giggled at the sudden peculiar noise coming from the normally serene and perfect Queen.

“Come on Els, and you too Red” Anna playfully exclaimed. “Let’s go eat chocolate until we all explode.”

Elsa giggled and scooped Amaranth up onto her hip as she stood, fighting a brief wave of nausea before they made their way down to breakfast.

\-----------

As unpleasant as the next two weeks were for the sisters and their newest family member, in truth they could have been a great deal more horrible. The council had seen absolutely no issue with Elsa’s proclamation to adopt Amaranth into their immediate family, indeed after her father’s rather public sacrifice it was seen as a suitable reward for a loyal citizen. Few knew of her father’s real history, even amongst the council, their own laziness and indolence working in the royals favour. Only the duke was likely at all aware of Harald the Wolf, and he had been absent from council for several days at the time of the announcement. The detestable Baroness of Hoytslott had glowered furiously but keep silent. The sliver of hope that the dukes conspiracy could be defeated was still fluttering in Elsa’s heart giving her the strength to endure the unpleasant experience of sitting in that nest of vipers. With Anna by her side the experience was almost pleasant, although her need to be subservient and silent for the majority of the session was alien and deeply uncomfortable.

The report from the Captain of the Royal Guard, Lord Aran, on the assassin did nothing to ease anyones fears, or indeed make Elsa or Anna feel more relaxed.

“The assassin is known as ‘The Ghost’ your Majesties, her real identity is unknown, but she appears to have the ability to move around magically from place to place. Her services command a hefty fee, and she is known across all of the kingdoms of the north. She has never attempted to assassinate royalty before, probably the reason she remains at large, although she has only been in her career for four or five years.”

Captain Aran looked as though he had not slept in several days, and was ruffling through and repeatedly glancing at a pair of very small and very sparsely filled in pieces of parchment as though willing more information to appear on them.

“From what little we have been able to gather she is dangerous and relentless, if she has missed her target she will try again, and so far no-one has managed to survive the second attempt.”

The normally stoic knight looked on the verge of defeat.

“I regret to inform you that she appears to use a variety of methods to kill her targets, from blades to poison, although a single crossbow shot is usually her first choice. Whilst she was wounded by her first attempt on your life we believe she will try again, and we have no clue as to the method.”

Elsa looked up. She had little memory of the exact events, her mind having apparently closed that time off as too painful to think about.

“How was she wounded?”

Elsa winced as she remembered she did not technically have the right to interrupt, although her question did not appear to draw any ire from her enemies. Perhaps the delicate nature of someone making a real attempt on the acting Queen of Arendelle’s life had brought the realities of the situation home for them. As venal and corrupt as they all were, assassinations were significantly beyond the pale for all but the most hardened villains, and virtually unheard of. Indeed Hans’ attempt on Anna’s life had been so shocking to them that they had agreed to cut all trade with them, and even considered sanctions over the matter, after all no-one wanted to be next in a game of knives.

Captain Aran cleared his throat.

“Ah, your magic Majesty. You fired some kind of blast of ice at the assassin, she dodged but we think she was hit by some of the flying masonry from the destruction of the gallery. She teleported out shortly after, before we could get to her to capture her.”

Elsa sneaked a glance around the room. It appeared that the other council members were, in fact, scared of her. Her powers had been solidly under control now for almost a month, and she had been growing in strength. Her only shame was that she had not placed a wall of ice between her loved ones and the projectile, had she been quicker she could have saved Amaranths father. It would be a regret she would take to her grave she knew.

“How badly did I damage the upper gallery?” Elsa asked, her regal posture back in full force. “It was a relatively minor burst of magic.” She lied, eager to spread some useful misinformation about her capabilities to her enemies. Captain Aran’s eyes widened a little, at her claim but he did not challenge her.

“Uh, majesty. You destroyed a three metre section of the upper gallery. I believe the castle engineers and stonemasons are working around the clock to effect repairs. There were… several injuries as a result.” Anna clamped a hand on Elsa’s arm before she could disappear down a panic attack, and spoke quickly.

“Will they recover?”

“Yes, Highness. Their injuries were bad, but not life threatening.”

“The crown will offer them a small compensation and an apology.” Anna replied sweetly but with a steady tone, squeezing Elsa’s arm supportively again. “They likely were in danger anyway simply from proximity to the assassin, it is possible Elsa saved their lives even.”

Elsa’s mind was already elsewhere, she had accepted her sister's point implicitly, and in her mind's eye could already see the assassin stabbing the two poor unfortunate merchants before making her escape. Now her mind was on other things. It would take the woman at least a week to recover enough from a heavy injury like that to try again, perhaps as many as two if they were as bad as they sounded. It was unlikely the Duke would commission a second assassin whilst the one he had paid for still lived, and was willing to try again. This meant two things.

The first was that she should send that letter at last, although she was going to make some choice edits before it was sent.

And the second was that Anna could have a real birthday party in the gardens as long as they were cautious about poison, they could possibly even bring the town children to the castle to receive their customary presents from the princess. Elsa couldn’t help but smile faintly as she felt the plans slide into place. It wasn’t much, but it was the hope of freedom, and that was everything.

\-----------

It was amazing just how much could change in two days and Elsa felt more free than she had ever been before.

Her magical lessons were coming along apace, and they had begun to cover the basics of actual sorcery, rather than Elsa’s instinctive grasp of raw elemental magic. She had balked slightly at the somewhat alien and unusual methods of thought required to perform sorcery but she had noticed an almost immediate improvement in her use of ice magic. So far she had learned how to sense and communicate with natural spirits, how to read magical runes and the basic language of magic (although it would be years before she was truly proficient), and was now learning how to focus her power to let her “see” magic in the world. 

For the first time in days she felt temporarily free of the dukes clutches, the mysterious Assassin identified and neutralised for now, and a small group of advisors were once again loyal to her. The council were prepared for the Diet in a week’s time, and Elsa was certain that there was no longer a sufficient majority against her to prevent her taking back her throne. Further the duke could not force her, or Anna to marry without total approval, and she knew that they no longer had that.

The business of legally adopting the orphan Amaranth had been dealt with quickly, and without opposition, and despite Elsa’s lingering paranoia that something bad was going to happen as a result there had been nothing at all. The Magician had described it as “scandal fatigue”, suggesting that since so many awful things were happening at once, minor things got a pass, at least for now. He had warned that it might not last, but seemed unconcerned at least, noting that she was just a child and that gave her some protection.

Elsa’s final frosting nail in her cake of happiness had come as the result of an official missive from hoytslott, directed to both her and her sister. It contained a short dispatch from the guard captain in Hoytslott describing an incident involving someone claiming to be one of the Royal Knights of Arendelle. Apparently a young man dressed in green armour, wearing a battered helmet had kicked in the door in a local coaching inn, backed up by a giant blond man in a mask, a reindeer and an animated snowman waving a wooden sword. They had confronted a suspected leader of the local bandits. The missive described eyewitness accounts of a confession, a fight and… singing..? The rag-tag group had arrested the group of bandits, numbering ten in all and deposited them at the local constabulary “under the authority of a Knight of Arendelle.” and the guard captain was demanding to know what to do about it. Further he wanted to arrest this group of masked vigilante’s before the singing could get out of hand.

Elsa smirked deeply, still unused to this level of happiness in her life and penned a reply. She was getting used to writing upsetting letters, she was rather good at it she decided. She would have to send someone along to verify the identity of the young hedge knight to the local authorities, but it seemed as though Anna’s plan was off to a fine start. She just didn't understand how in the name of all the gods the other three had gotten themselves involved.

\-----------

Anna was, at this point reasonably certain she was going to die in the next ten minutes or so, perhaps quite a bit less. She noted with a certain heightened sense of awareness that the fire in the room was moving a LOT faster than she had anticipated, apparently dust sheets were hugely flammable. She backed up further, smoke filling the air above her and her lungs stinging, but she had run out of room to retreat, her path to the door blocked by thick walls of flame.

_I just wanted to surprise Elsa… I guess I got that wrong too. Surprise her with my charred dead body._

Anna pulled desperately at the last fragments of magic within her, over channeling in a desperate bid to dampen the flames. She bought herself about three feet, but almost lost her consciousness in the process.

_Hey, it’s cooler down here. That’s nice. Might buy me another minute. I’m so sorry Elsa, i’m such a screwup. I screw everything up. Poor lil Red is going to lose someone else too, now._

Anna lay on the floor, coughing and dry heaving in the oppressive heat, noting with almost a faint disinterest as the dress she was wearing started to catch alight.


	9. Bucket Chain

*scratch scratch* _Dull_ *scratch scratch* _Still Dull_ *scratch scratch*

“Buh, Bee, Bah. Bunny. Bee. Ball.”

Smile.

*scratch scratch* _Damnable thing. How many words does it take to say “nothing new to report majesty”?_ *scratch scratch*

“See, Cuh, Chuh. Cah. Circle, Cup, Cheese, Cat”

Broad smile, encouraging nod.

“Duh, Dee, Dih. Duck, Deer, Dinner.”

“Your Majesty!”

Sigh. Pen down.

Elsa frowned, the delightful peace and quiet of the late evening study was shattered completely. She still had a large pile of unsigned reports, and by the sounds of Amaranths halting progress she was still struggling with the letter E. The study was a scene that was alien even to Elsa’s dim memory, her father almost never letting her into his study when he was working, and he would never let her sit in the stuffed leather chair. Amaranth was currently sat in that vaunted position, with a large brightly coloured exercise book in front of her reading out her letters. She and Anna had decided together that a stable routine was critical for keeping the young girl healthy and sound, and so they had divided her time between them. Today was an Elsa evening, with books, letters and needlework, and Amaranth was up several hours past her bedtime. Although right now it appeared to be being rudely interrupted.

“Come in Geral. What is it?”

“Your majesty!” The young page bowed, his face flushed from exertion, and no doubt running head first into a warm study. “There is a visitor to the castle! A most peculiar creature made of rocks, it says it needs to speak with you immediately. I would not have bothered you, but it was most insistent.”

“A creature made of rocks?” Elsa inquired, mildly incredulous. “Here? Outside of the Enchanted Valley?”

The page almost did a double take at Elsa’s words, clearly expecting her to have not entirely believed him but for significantly different reasons.

“Where is he or she now?”

“Uhh, we left them in one of the antechambers next to the barbican your majesty.”

“Helga, would you watch Amaranth for me?” Elsa nodded at the old maid sat, sewing quietly in the corner of the room, who simply smiled and nodded. “This must be incredibly important for them to have come all this way. Lead on Geral, and quickly.”

 

Elsa was floored to see none other than Grand Pabbie himself waiting in the antechamber, along with Bulda and several of the larger male rock trolls she did not recognise. She had only met the trolls once herself not long after the events of the great thaw, when Anna took her out to meet “Kristoff's folks” as she put it. She had briefly discussed what the old troll knew about her magic and was saddened to discover that he could not train her usefully, although in the short time she had known him she had come to respect him immensely as a creature of obvious wisdom and foresight. Elsa swept forwards and sat on the floor before the old troll on her knees, bringing them to roughly the same height, her smile wide and genuine.

“Grand Pabbie. You are ever welcome in Castle Arendelle.”

The old troll’s weary age lined expression was soft with a peaceful expression, but his words were heavy with the fatigue of age.

“Thank you your Majesty. The Royal Family of Arendelle have always been kind to us, it is good to see that you are a true heart as well.”

His voice was a low intoned whisper, but it was clear and hopeful.

“I hope that I am not too late, for our journey has been long and difficult. I come with a grave warning for your family, and the magician in your service.”

Elsa looked concerned, but patted the old rock trolls hand reassuringly as his family crowded around him, Bulda in particular making concerned noises.

“As you may be aware our kind has a minor gift for magic, and it is strongest amongst our eldest. I have, on occasion, glimpses of the future and it is that gift which brings me here today. I would have sent the boy, but he has been absent to us some time now, and so we had to come ourselves. You and your sister must flee your majesty. You must!”

Elsa felt rocked to her core at the old trolls pronouncement.

“I see torches in the future, angry villagers. I see fire in the castle and the queen of Arendelle falling from the highest tower at midsummer. An army approaches, covered by high valleys and thick trees, and all of Arendelle covered in snow at high summer.”

Pabbie had tears in his eyes.

“Please your majesty, heed my warning. You MUST flee, flee for your life. I fear that this is a prophecy, and cannot be averted but you must try.”

Midsummer's day was tomorrow, less than two hours away by the clocks. Elsa felt the walls begin to close in. and she desperately tried to call on her training to let the feelings pass. IT was barely enough. Her mind was spinning and her thoughts a jumbled mess. She seized on the first coherent thought which seemed relevant and not simply propelled by her fear.

“The magician. You mentioned him.”

Grand pabbies expression was normally weary and tired, but now he looked close to surrender.

“He knows. He told me there was some kind of prophecy, and that he came to see it defeated, I fear that he has failed in his task.”

Elsa felt a lance of betrayal, and her composure started to crack. She felt her magic building and coursing through her veins, the full avenues of her power open to her. She had only once before felt this powerful, but there was no blizzard this time. No running or flight from her problems.

_He knew? How… how could he know and not tell me. I trusted him! Must I be doomed forever to be surrounded by traitors?_

Elsa forced a thin smile.

“We will see him. He shall explain himself. GERAL!”

The harangued and now slightly beleaguered looking page poked his head around the door, clearly terrified by the now extremely dangerous looking ice queen standing before him. The creatures in the room mostly appeared to have turned into a pile of inanimate rocks, with the exception of the weathered mossy elder with the stick. 

“Yes Majesty?”

“Where… Is… My… Magician?” She snarled each word.

“Uhh. He’ll likely be stumbling back drunk about this time of eve Majesty, should be back any minute I suspect. He might be down with the lads at the gate telling them a quick tale perhaps, he often does.”

Elsa swept out, a freezing icy blast behind her, and followed slowly by the elderly troll and a set of rolling boulders in single file. They caught up with the magician at the steps to the barbican within two minutes, elsa slowing the pace to let the old troll keep up. He seemed to notice the commotion coming his way and sauntered over, shouldering his lute and grabbing his bag, his small furry companion poking from his hood.

“Ah your Majesty, it’s a grand peaceful night isn’t it? Ready for tomorrow;s excitement? Tis going to be a long day I fear.”

Elsa was furious, and her composure showed it, the Magician's eyes widening and he paled at her advance.

“Tell me the truth Magician! Tell me about this prophecy!”

He looked faintly crestfallen, and for the first time in the entire time they had known one another he seemed uncertain.

“I… Can’t, your Majesty.” He looked apologetic, his hands up palms forwards in surrender. “I am bound. I cannot speak of that to you.”

“TELL ME” Elsa bellowed, her voice commanding and laced with magic.

“I am banned. You know of my nature, I cannot tell you things. Some things are secret, and this is one such thing.”

“I won’t accept that, you traitor.” Elsa spat, although in her heart she knew the words were hollow as soon as they were said. His words sunk in through her fury, and she turned them over in her thoughts.

_Breathe. Breathe, release, centre. Now look, open your eyes. Now open them again._

Elsa focussed her magic, the swirling elemental power channeled from her nature, and formed the spell of seeing. She had used more raw power than she had even been able to channel in the safe confines of her lessons, and turned her potent gaze upon her mentor. She was nearly blinded by the result as fractal patterns of green and gold mirror radiance dripped from his features, the beautiful fractal shards twisting and blowing away in the wind, obscuring his face and form. She could make out the high swept points of his ears, the thick whorls of green tattoo ink, the blazing radiance of his all gold eyes lit with a single fleck of black iris. His clothes were crude and simple against his form, every imperfection in their creation made obvious and prominent. A word floated across her mind.

“Tuath”

Elsa’s voice held a certain amount of awe as she beheld the figure before her, grinning at the obvious brilliance of his student. She was speaking of the Island Fey, from the western isles, a proud and warlike group not too dissimilar from the norse Vanir.

“Not… quite. But close! Very close! I am a great deal more mortal than that Majesty, and I am in truth closer to your house than the Tuatha, but their aspect is most natural to me.”

He shook his head, and Elsa felt her sight fading, the power of the spell spent, but not before telling her all she knew about the creature before her.

“A changeling?”

Elsa cocked her head, racking her brains for the knowledge gained during her studies with her mentor, before remembering that were he any such creature he could never admit it. To do so would be to grant her a great deal of power. She shook her head.

“No matter magician. But you must be able to tell me something! Grand Pabbie here has delivered me a grave warning!”

The old troll waddled forwards to stand beside Elsa, and the Magician took a knee before the peculiar chief giving him a respectful salute to the heart. Pabbies voice was hurried.

“I fear you have failed in your task. The visions came to me a week ago, stronger and less fragmented than ever before. There was no doubt this time. Arendelle will burn, and the queen will fall!”

“Shh old one. Fear not.” The Magician’s voice was eerie and quiet, his face showing nothing but concern. “I know.”

Elsa looked taken aback, and even Grand Pabbie seemed confused.

“You can’t stop a prophecy. They don’t work like that. The future can be changed, oh yes. Simple visions or warnings? Easy. Prophecies take a lot more work.” He wobbled slightly, suddenly placing a hand to the ground to steady himself. “Ah… I have said too much. Heh, even that little? No matter.”

Elsa moved forwards, her previous anger and fear dissipating at her tutors obvious distress. Her voice was low and scared.

“Are we in danger? Is my sister in danger magician?”

He looked at the cobbled street for a moment, apparently robbed of all strength, before turning his eyes to the Queen.

“Wrong question Elsa. I can’t… I can’t talk about that.”

Elsa squatted, steadying the Magician with a hand on his shoulder. She thought deeply for a moment, before raising a finger.

“Have you betrayed your oath to me? Will you betray your oath?”

“Never.”

He said the word confidently, without a hint of hesitation. His eyes meeting Elsa’s evenly, and his customary confident grin starting to reappear. He stood slowly, motioning the odd assembled party to return into the castle. His voice was gaining back its strength and authority.

“I believe we should head back into the main drawing room and perhaps her Majesty would be kind enough to share with us some of her famous hot chocolate? We could all use it this eve.”

Elsa forced herself to agree as she stood, a nice mug of hot chocolate would be good for her nerves. She would send word to Anna, wherever she was, for her to join them. In the meantime she was going to question Grand Pabbie for everything he knew about this prophecy. Elsa had put Amaranth to bed and returned to the impromptu party in the drawing room before she started to grow concerned, although the Magician assured her that there was Anna was fine. She had refused to be completely mollified however and kept glancing at the clock. It was precisely midnight as Elsa was starting to grow concerned that she noticed the Magician stand up suddenly and stare briefly into the middle distance.

“Oh Hell.”

That, caused Elsa to panic. She had literally never heard the Magician swear, not even when she had lost control of her magic attempting to contact an ice spirit and had accidentally created a small hostile ice wraith. He had just smiled and calmly dismissed it with a wave of his hand and a flash of green magic. The sudden consternation from the servants and ringing of bells made Elsa even less certain of what to make of everything,

“FIRE! FIRE IN THE CASTLE! ALL HANDS TO THE COURTYARD!”

The magician fixed her with a look.

“One minute past midnight? Really? Oh well, come on.”

And he bolted for the door, bag slapping against his leg as he ran. Elsa tried to run after him, hopping desperately as she shucked her shoes for extra speed. Heels were truly excellent for looking imposing and regal, but terrible for purchase on the broad flat stones of the castle floors and walkways. As they reached the entrance to the courtyard, terrified servants scattering out of their way and holding open doors Elsa could see the upper floors of the north tower ablaze, the glowing light leaping and dancing in the windows. The magician let out a brief whoop of excitement before redoubling his speed towards the base of the north tower. Elsa was confused, scared and slightly tinged with anger.

_It’s coming true, it's all going to come true. And here I am following some crazy half Sidhe creature straight into my death. And where the hell is Anna… Oh gods._

Elsa realised she knew exactly where her sister was. Where she HAD to be. Really there wasn’t any other explanation. Only Anna could start a fire in an empty stone tower.

She almost overtook the Magician on her way to the base of the north tower.

They crested the first few floors without incident, the insistent bells ringing in the other towers starting to dim in their ears. Three floors from the top the heat hit Elsa like a solid wall, and the smoke caused her lungs to panic, her gasp halted her sprinting companion.

“Majesty? Ah, yes, the heat.”

He was rummaging in his large bag, the dark inviting space once again seeming to give way to a near indefinite void. He pulled out a large glistening black cloak and threw it over Elsa’s shoulders, before taking her face in his hands. Under any other circumstance the breach of etiquette would have been inexcusable, but Elsa found it gave her a moment of clarity.

“Find her, drink up, out the window. Got it?”

He pressed a pair of tiny glass bottles into Elsa’s hands. She looked at him briefly, confused.

“Drink?”

“Yes. I’ll see you at the bottom. Remember, Find! Drink! Window! Say it back.”

“Find? Drink? Window?”

Elsa repeatedly dumbly, but nodding all the same. He grinned broadly and pulled her up the stairs straight to the edge of the inferno. Elsa could smell burning, burning wood, straw and hair from the magician standing next to her, but strangely the heat was gone. She didn't even feel betrayed when the laughing madman next to her shoved her into the sheet of fire, as she tumbled into the blaze.

_I’m fireproof… what? Oh… the cloak, of course._

Elsa grimly fought her way through the burning ruin, strangely finding herself immune to the flames and heat. Even the smoke was hardly a bother, although her lungs still felt grey and itchy, and she coughed lightly, drawing the cloak around herself. The cloak was turning a bright crimson where the flames licked against it, sending out tiny pulses of magic with each contact. A shrieking noise from above brought utter urgency to her movement and she tried in vain to call on her magic to stem the blaze. No matter how she tried her ice fizzled more than a few feet from her, the oppressive heat and sheer quantity of flames apparently more than her magic could handle.

\-----------

_Just wish I had a chance to tell ya how much I love you Elsa._

Anna gave one last heroic effort to lift herself, her lungs burning and her skin on her right arm starting to boil. All she could see was fire and chaos, and a loud banging and crashing as the door collapsed. A perfect angel strode into the room, ready to carry her to Fólkvangr, her crimson cape aflame and her perfect icy white features and golden hair marking her clearly as a Valkyrie of the Gods. The eerie figure strode through the flames and reached down to wrap Anna in her cloak and all at once the fire stopped burning her, the heat left, and she knew she was dead.

_You look a lot like my sister. Ouch. Oh god, Ow, everything hurts. If I’m dead why does this HURT SO MUCH._

Anna screamed. The beauty before her uncorked a copper coloured potion, the bottle embossed with an A and poured it into Anna’s mouth, encouraging her to drink. She quickly stopped screaming, the warm liquid sliding down her throat, her eyes sliding around unfocused and wild. Her pain began to flee as warm soft fog pressed in on all sides.

“Al- Always knew… knew you were secretly an… Angel… Elsa, S’hwhy I love you so much.”

Elsa looked around desperately, the flames and the heat starting to penetrate the defences of the enchanted cloak. Apparently the burden of protecting two was more than its magic could hold fast. She could faintly feel a tug in the air, almost as if the flames were being pulled away and she moved in that direction, hauling her sister's limp form into her arms with the strength borne of terror. 

A Window. The flames reached out greedily before her, fingers of destruction painting the night sky an obscene red. Elsa reached the edge and looked down. Her vision swam. There was no way to survive the drop, a clear 90 metres or so to the floor, perhaps more. She tried in vain to summon all of her powers of ice to create a snowbank, holding her sister's limp form to her body and shielding her from the furnace heat of the fire. She felt the fabric of the cloak start to feather and flake away, stabs of lancing heat snaking through the failing enchantment.

“Jus jump Els. We can fly… cluck cluck.” Anna burbled and giggled. “Hens hearts… hah.”

Drink. The last command. Elsa retrieved her bottle, powder blue with a gold E stamped on the bottle, although the wax had long since run in the heat. She swigged the contents and stepped promptly out of the window, all of her efforts concentrated on raising the pile of snow beneath her. Elsa plummeted like a stone. Anna did not. As the ice queen let go of her sisters slowly drifting and tumbling form she accepted her part in saving Anna.

She turned to the floor and concentrated on making the snow pile as large as possible before her precious, beautiful love might hit it. The potion took effect so gradually in Elsa’s heightened state that she could have put it down to her mind stretching out the last few moments before her death, but no. She had definitely stopped falling with any speed, her body lazily drifting to the floor like a particularly bored autumn leaf, the last burning scraps of the enchanted cloak floating off into the night. It also apparently had the side effect of making her giddy and extremely pleased with everything, although perhaps that was the knowledge that they were both going to live, at least for now.

\-----------

Elsa felt strong hands gently pulling her from the snowbank, her burns making their presence known with shooting pains. The snow cleared from her vision as she groggily took in the blond visage of her Royal Icemaster and Deliverer, a look of relief flooding his warm face.

“I’ve got the Queen!”

“I have the Princess here! She’s burned, but she’s alive!”

She heard the voice of her newest Knight, his words bringing her sweet relief. Elsa stood shakily surveying the scene around her. Anna was leaning against Sir Johan, her breathing ragged and an ugly red slick mark on her face, and several more on her arms and legs. It was clear from a glance that her clothes were fused to her skin in places and Elsa could barely stand the sight.

They were surrounded by a tiny handful of guards, who gave a jubilant cheer at their survival, the noise of celebration an odd sound in the panic of the summer night. The young royals were escorted away from the base of the burning tower towards the courtyard, the warm night sky lit by the sounds of shouting and the crackling of flames.

The courtyard was a scene of controlled chaos, chains of servants moving buckets back and forth from the castle wells and reservoirs desperately fighting the blaze and preventing it from progressing further into the castle grounds. Elsa noted with some satisfaction that her people seemed to be making headway against the fire, rather against all odds. Fire was a lethal and constant fear in the lands of Arendelle, as both wood and thatch made up a great deal of the construction material. The castle at least was heavily insured against such things, with expensive and handsome slate roofs and solid stone walls and pillars, but even with such precautions wood was needed for some pillars and supports, to say nothing of the soft furnishings and furniture.

Kai was directing efforts from the centre of the courtyard, the Seneschals authority overriding all concerns for rank or decorum as he directed the fire-fighting effort with practiced effort. The Magician had set up an impromptu infirmary under one of the covered eaves and was dispensing bandages, burn cream and clean drinking water, his voice barking commands at the small number of young boys and girls clustered around to help.

“I don’t care why the fire isn’t spreading to the east section, we are taking no chances. Move the newest chain in that direction and start pressing in. Direct the second chain to keep pouring water on the beams on the fifth floor of the tower at this rate we can contain it completely.”

Elsa’s small group had drawn level with Kai and she could clearly hear his commanding voice. Apparently the situation was not nearly as dire as she had suspected. He caught her eye as she came over and began waving her group towards the infirmary.

“No no no, your Majesty! We have everything under control! Please, see to your injuries. Your people need their Queen at full strength. Although perhaps a small snowfall over the tower, if it is possible?”

He looked hopefully at Elsa, who glanced over to the tower and concentrated briefly. A small cloud formed over the tower and a light sprinkle of snow began falling into the inferno, its impact clearly minimal. Elsa shook her head sadly.

“Best… I can...do” She whispered hoarsely, and Kai just nodded before turning back to his work. She was faintly surprised to see Count Jomdol, one of her recalcitrant councillors jogging up to Kai, covered in soot and his finery singed, with a sodden rag tied across his face. The two struck up an immediate conversation, the Count rapidly giving some kind of a report, before dashing off again back towards the flames. She never would have thought that he had it in him, running straight towards danger with no apparent thought for his own safety.

The Queen and Princess were given immediate priority at the makeshift infirmary, a sheet hung rapidly for privacy. The magician swiftly stripped Anna, a flashing silver knife carving through her royal clothing whilst her royal physician washed her injuries with clean water and a sponge. Elsa watched in horror as her sister was laid before her in nothing but her underwear, the full extent of her burns laid clear. In truth they were not as truly awful as Elsa had feared, mostly along her right hand side, the weeping sores and bright red patches marking the places where she was flame touched. Elsa’s eyes were drawn to the golden necklace her sister was wearing, its outline eerily familiar, although she would swear she had never seen it before, the red gem in the centre pulsing rapidly with dim red light.

_Never whilst awake anyway._

For her part Anna seemed cheerful, although clearly severely drugged by whatever was in the potion she had drunk. She seemed wildly unwilling to lay still, or have her burns treated. Elsa pressed a cool hand to the healthy side of Anna’s face.

“Hey. Hi”

Anna focussed on Elsa briefly.

“Hi! Hi… hi me?” She giggled. “Remember the ball? God Els, you were just so gorgeous. I forgot how to breathe for a minute.”

Elsa felt a prickle of a blush despite the madness of the situation. She mentally shook herself and took a deep breath, stroking Anna’s hair and fixing her gaze on her sisters eyes.

“Just lay still for me Anna. Just for a moment, they need to work. You were badly burned.”

Anna’s eyes gathered with tears and her breath began to hitch.

“I’m so-sorry Elsa. I… I sc-sc-screwed up. I just w-wanted to m-make you something pretty for mid-midsummer. An-and it go- got away from me. And then… then there was so much fire.”

“Shh, shh. It’s ok now.” Elsa stoked her face, and wiped away Anna’s tears, whilst she processed what Anna had said. “What did you? I mean how… what were you making in there?”

“Tr-tried to make you a… a friend. Cute lil fi- firebird.”

Anna brought her hand up near Elsa’s face and she could see a spark of flame leap from Anna’s thumb to her forefinger, and her little sister’s hand lit up with dancing magical flames briefly.

“Oh Anna…”

I was hard to pinpoint exactly what emotions Elsa felt at that time, and no amount of training could have prepared her for the chaotic wave of feeling rushing across her. She was angry, thrilled, terrified, and further besotted by the strange and wonderful being that was Anna.

“You ARE my cute little firebird sily.”

“You’re my gorgeous snowflake.” Anna murmured, and Elsa grinned faintly embarrassed at the two men fussing over her almost nude sister. If either of them heard, or had noticed anything unusual in their conversation so far they gave no indication.

“How long have you been keeping this secret from me?” Elsa’s tone was exasperated, amused, and curious all at once. “Your magic?”

“Uhm.” Anna looked shifty, clutching the gem around her throat and looking nervously at the Magician. He chuckled, brushing a thick golden paste over a wound with a soft looking piece of fabric.

“Since she stole that gem from my bag of secrets.” He supplied, concentrating on his work. “What was my one rule your highness?”

Anna sighed, her expression turned thoroughly contrite.

“No-one goes in the bag of secrets.”

“Or what happens?” He asked, affixing her with a grin.

“Disaster.” Anna said in a small voice, hands twinning around the small gilded heart cage. 

Elsa shook her head sadly. She had never thought of Anna as someone who would steal anything, and she found her image of her perfect little sister tarnished and it hurt.

“Don’t blame her Majesty.” Elsa’s eyes snapped up to meet the Magicians, shock on her face at him seemingly having read her thoughts again. He had managed to daub all of Anna’s injuries on her face, arms and torso and was now working on her right leg, whilst the royal physician silently applied clean silk bandages over her injuries. The Magician gestured briefly at the gem with a knuckle before returning to his work.

“In fairness to Anna, I knew she had it. And the gem desperately wants to be worn and used, it would have called out to anyone who could be its bearer, like a moth to a flame.”

“Why Anna?” Elsa asked, earning herself an incredulous look from both the magician and, to her surprise from her royal physician. The older man shook his head softly with a chuckle, addressing elsa from over the top of a bandage.

“Your Royal Majesty the Ice Queen of Arendelle is wondering why her sister might be affected by a gem looking for a magical bearer? I may be no mage, or student of magic but...”

His smile was soft and genuine, and elsa couldn’t help but return it gently. She was still drowsy from the after-effects of the potion, although some of the pain from her burns was starting to return and she hissed as one of the young girls acting as a nurse tried to sponge one of her injuries.

“I never wanted to say this Elsa, Your Majesty, but the dress is going to have to come off if you want us to heal the burns. And I think Anna would want you to be a well treated as possible hmm?”

A small snore rose from the Young Princess as the magician spoke. Elsa sighed and pushing her embarrassment away dismissed her ice gown, allowing the two men access to her injuries. Her injuries were mild, much more so than Anna’s, but they still stung as they were washed out, cleaned and bound. They were barely halfway through their ministrations when when Elsa because aware of some voices shouting for her outside.

After she had finished being bandaged, Elsa re-summoned a dress for herself and headed out into the courtyard to find what appeared to be most of Arendelle town arrayed in a large mob. Many were armed with torches, and there were a few pitchforks, spears and polearms mixed in, it was an intimidating sight, although she noticed that a good chunk of the crowd were the elderly and young as well.

“Kai, what is going on?” Elsa asked her mildly flustered looking seneschal, gesturing at the crowd. 

“Well your majesty, the blaze can be seen for miles in every direction. It IS the north tower after all. I imagine the people are concerned.”

Elsa looked across her people, the large mass held back slightly by several members of the royal guard crossing their weapons to prevent the crowd entering the courtyard proper. She saw a degree of fear in her people. Elsa summoned a small stage before her out of ice so she could be seen from the back of the crowd and, wincing slightly in pain, ascended the steps.

“My people! There is nothing to worry about, there was a small fire in one of the towers. Princess Anna has been injured.”

An audible gasp ran throughout the crowd, and there were cries of “NO!”, along with a few sobs.

“But I am confident she will recover! Even now we are battling the last of the blaze, and I can see many of you are eager to help.”

This met a roar of approval from the crowd.

“If you are strong and able then please present yourself at the front of the effort, we have need of people to fight the fire. If you are younger and want to help please see the infirmary. Everyone else can help with the bucket chains, I am so proud of you all for coming to help us in this dark time.”

There was a distinct shuffling as the crowd began to organise itself into three rough groups, and pushed their way into the courtyard, past their royal Majesty. Elsa felt overcome briefly with pride and love in her people The fire in the castle never stood a chance.

\-----------

 

Elsa took the Damage report for the Castle in the royal suite, with Amaranth sat on her knee, Anna’s unconscious form reposed on the giant four poster bed. Any fear that the princess might not awake was put to bed by the loud and regular snoring, and occasional snort from the unconscious girl.

Kai, the Castle’s head engineer and to her surprise Count Jomdol were giving her a report of the damage to the castle. The flames had gutted the top three floors of the north tower, but the spread had been relatively minimal beyond that, with some minor damage to the galleries leading to the castle proper. Count Jomdol in particular took great pleasure in describing how he and his cohort of the castle servants had held back the fire from reaching the central body of the castle. He had apparently been thoroughly invigorated by the experience, and was keen to continue organising the response, his enthusiasm only mildly nettling Kai.

The Chief engineer reported that the structural damage had been quite minor, although the two floors would need to be reconstructed at least in part. He gave her a list of times and prices for the repairs, which she waved away as being essentially a minor concern. She had other priorities.

“Casualties?” The part of the meeting Elsa had been dreading.

“Ah, none that we have been able to find your Majesty. Luckily the north tower was empty for renovations, as per your instructions, and since no-one had yet started work…” Kai trailed off.

“The paintings? Some have family significance.” Elsa did not care all that much, but there was such a thing as prestige. Kai looked faintly amused.

“There was nothing of any value, sentimental or otherwise in the tower Majesty. Even the tapestries had been removed. Apparently someone had also removed the larger pieces of furniture, they seem to have been stored in one of the parlours.”

“So what did we lose?” Elsa frowned. Something truly did not add up here.

“Near as I can tell Majesty? Nothing.” Kai seemed almost amused. “I hadn’t known any better…”

_You think someone planned this. So do I. I’ll wring his neck._

“Well, it looks as though Anna’s plans for an indoor sauna and spa saved us all a lot of trouble then. It is a shame she knocked over that oil lamp really, I just hope she recovers…”

Another stab of pain across her skin reminded Elsa that she had not been completely unaffected by her sisters foray into magical summoning, although the burn did not hurt as much as the knowledge that her sister may have been scarred for life. Elsa dismissed her guests, and went to bed, changing her by now unconscious daughter into sleeping clothes and drawing her close. It was still a slightly alien thought that she and Anna now had a daughter, and the thought both filled her with joy and a small quantity of guilt. After all Anna could only think of her as a sister, even if she was willing to describe her in such… glowing terms.

\-----------

Anna awoke ravenous the next morning, and heaping piles of meat were promptly delivered and slipped straight down her gullet, her normal princessly table manners forgotten in the mad rush for sustenance. The royal physician had arrived to change her bandages shortly after, as well as help her wash, keeping burns clean was critical to their healing he explained. Elsa had heard his gasp from clear across the room when he had removed the bandage on her thigh, and elsa felt her heart sink as she sprinted across the room and tore open the curtains to the royal four poster, Anna’s privacy be damned.

Her burn was a mangled mess of flesh, oozing with watery fluid. Elsa felt herself growing faint.

“Astounding.” The royal physician muttered.

Elsa steadied herself, and she and Anna looked on. That certainly did not “sound” like bad news. The physician got to cleaning her wounds and re-applying the golden sticky paste under the bandage, whilst muttering under his breath. He seemed extremely pleased by what he found under the bandage on Anna’s face, although Elsa found the blisters to be incredibly hard to look at. The old man turned to face Elsa, a smile on his face.

“Your Majesty, Your Highness, the princess is recovering well. I must say this salve concocted by the royal astrologer works every bit as well as he claimed it would, although Princess Anna’s recovery beats all of the other patients I have had to treat so far, your Majesty included. If I had not seen them inflicted last night I would have wagered these burns almost a week old by now, and far from the severity I saw last night as well.”

He smiled and continued unwrapping bandages.

“Indeed I suspect that princess Anna will make a solid recovery, and very soon. Perhaps another week if she is as quick a healer as it appears.”

Elsa found herself grinning uncontrollably as she went into the royal washroom, to leave Anna some privacy. She felt that she could get used to waking up in the same room as Anna, and she felt more rested than she had in weeks. Even Amaranths tendency to grab her hair and hang on for dear life whist she was sleeping had no great effect on how well she slept, uncomfortable as it was when she woke up. Amaranth herself was halfway through a bath when Elsa entered, the young girl reflexively shrinking back into the bath when the Queen came in. Elsa shot her a small smile, and busied herself with her own ablutions, trying to stress the normality of the situation.

After washing and cleaning her teeth, Elsa walked back to the giant four poster casually brushing her hair. Anna was not fooled by her air of casual nonchalance.

“Uh. Hi Elsa.” Anna looked nervous, and fidgeted with her hair. “Sleep well?”

Elsa sat down on the bed. She brushed her hair several more times.

“I don’t want to do this Anna.” The Ice Queen’s voice was low, and angry.

“Then… don’t?” Anna tried, with a weak chuckle, but she couldn’t meet Elsa’s gaze.

“So YOU do it. I’m not going to shout at you, or scream, or cry. You hurt me Anna.”

Elsa reached out with a hand and ran a finger across the bandages on Anna’s foot. A single tear running down her high cheekbones. Anna felt her heart break at the sheer levels of disappointment her older sister was radiating, and her eyes stung wildly as she saw the half dozen bandages marring Elsa’s otherwise flawless skin. She gulped in air.

“I fucked up. I…” Anna looked at her lap wretchedly. “I just wanted to surprise you. I thought if… If I could show you that I had magic too now, then you wouldn’t feel so alone. I wanted to make you a little friend you could tell all of your secrets too. But. I mean. I wasn’t careful, and I should have told you.”

Anna’s voice cracked as tears started to fall.

“I shouldn’t have taken the magic book, or the gem.” Anna fingered the gold cage absentmindedly. “But I couldn’t stop myself. I just… my hands moved without me y’know? I should have asked for help, I know that now.”

She felt strong arms lightly wrap around her, her sister taking care not to touch any of her burns as she tried to hug her to stop the tears.

“I love you Anna, and I nearly lost you. You need to give that back.” A finger tapped the necklace. “And you need to start taking magical lessons with me. No excuses.”

Anna perked up immeasurably at the suggestion of spending more time with Elsa.

“I’m sorry I hurt you Elsa. I... I never want to do that again. You don’t hate me?”

“Of course not silly!” Elsa scoffed, gently ruffling the exploded tuft of hair sticking out from under the bandages on her head. “You are my little firebird, and I could never hate you.”

This time the tears were ones of Joy.

“Can I make it up to you?” Anna asked shyly, as Amaranth entered the bedroom and padded softly over to the closet holding her clothes.

“Of course” Elsa smiled, a tiny butterfly flutter in her stomach.

“Go on another date with me?” Anna whispered into Elsa’s ear. “I have a great idea for something we can do together. And it won’t matter that our clothes got destroyed either.”

That caused an explosion of butterflies in Elsa’s stomach, and her jaw hung limply open as she struggled for words.


	10. A relaxing summer afternoon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ten chapters already. It looks safe to say this once every 4/5 days update schedule is going to remain reasonably constant at this rate.
> 
> Thanks for sticking with the story my lovely readers, and thank you for all of the kind comments. I do read every comment, and I am trying to get into the habit of replying as well. Hopefully everyone enjoys the fluff this chapter!

There was a time, perhaps not all that long ago when Elsa believed that she could see light at the end of the tunnel. That this mountain of unwritten letters, and unsigned paperwork might actually get done and her life could return to a semblance of normality. Here she was however, writing out by hand nearly 20 copies of the same identical letter, all filled with the same pointless flowery language to tell her various nobles that the castle had almost burned down. She wanted dearly to ask a scribe to do it all for her, but she knew that writing them by hand would help engender respect amongst her nobles, and once she had written one by hand, the rest had to be done as well.

The door to her study was open, allowing free movement of scribes and aides to deliver reports and papers, whilst taking away newly finished decrees. Kai had flitted in more than once, an apologetic look on his face before dropping off a supply of ink and paper. Elsa had found herself once again the ruler of Arendelle by some manner of silent agreement, her sister recuperating from her burns in the royal suite. Whilst she had not formally had her powers sworn back by the council no-one seemed to be pressing the issue in the absence of the Duke of Almdlir. Even the toad like baroness of Hoytslott seemed mildly subdued, although she made occasional snide venomous remarks about royal overreach and supposed tyrannical behaviour in arresting her peasants. Elsa believed she was simply upset about Anna’s stunt with the hedge knight and the political open handed slap that it represented. Rather than be diplomatic and pleasant, The Ice Queen had resolved to bulldoze over any objections and firmly exert Anna’s royal authority. The respect she was currently enjoying from the rest of the council was a pleasant change from the past weeks.

Elsa’s musings were interrupted by a sheepish knock at the door, and she looked up into the faintly embarrassed faces of Sir Johan and Kristoff. A freezing cold, slightly damp sensation graced her left leg, along with a pair of twiggy arms wrapping around her calf.

“HI, Elsa! I like warm hugs. We had so much fuu-uun!”

Elsa grinned besides herself and reached down to embrace Olaf, the strange snow creature enthusiastically leaning into her hug. Even with her new understanding of her powers, Olaf was something of an enigma to her, she now knew he must have been some kind of spirit which she willed into the simple form of a snowman, but he seemed far smarter than anything else she had ever encountered.

“Hello, Olaf.”

“Ooh, fire! I like fire. It’s so pretty.”

Of course, far smarter than a lemming, or say a brick, left a lot of space on the scale, but he was still as harmless and charming as ever. Elsa straightened up to give the two young men now occupying quite a lot of space in her study her full attention.

“Gentlemen.” Elsa smiled, interlacing her fingers on the table in front of her. “Do you have something you wanted to talk about?”

Sir Johan and Kristoff both bowed before their queen before sharing something of a look, Kristoff speaking up first.

“We may have captured some bandits. And then we got run out of town by the captain of the guard.” Kristoff looked both defiant and apologetic at the same time. Elsa laughed gently, fetching a fresh piece of vellum and beginning to pen an official looking letter.

“Now we can’t have my Royal Icemaster and Deliverer and my sister’s personal knight thrown out of a town in My Country. Not for doing the right thing in any case.”

Elsa’s pen swept across the page, the artistic looping calligraphy a clear sign of years of experience now being deployed to devastating effect. Within moments Elsa had drafted a suitable royal proclamation, affixed with the royal seal and signed with a gigantic signature.

“Here. Do be careful with this, it marks you as agents to the crown, and should get you out of almost any trouble, as well as giving you authority to arrest anyone you see ft. Just… don’t abuse it, all right?”

“Thank you your Majesty.” Sir Johan looked relieved and shot a grin sideways at Kristoff. 

“Told you she was awesome.” Kristoff said with a nudge of his shoulders “Uh. Your Majesty. Elsa.” The burly man giving Elsa a shy smile having realised they were still very much standing before the queen, she covered her mouth with a hand to stifle a giggle.

“It’s all right Kristoff. Did you need anything else?”

The two men shook their heads.

“No Majesty. Kris and I will head off now, we're going to do another supply run, see if we can’t get some supplies to the people who need them. Mind if we take Olaf again?”

Elsa raised her eyebrow at her knights slightly strange request.

“Uh… he. Well he really helped. The people out there love him to bits, and he even managed to capture a bandit by dropping on the guys head.”

“He looked like he needed a warm hug.” Olaf rocked backwards and forwards in front of the fire, his snow softening as his carrot slowly slid down his face. Elsa nodded.

“Well I can hardly say no, but really it’s Olaf’s choice.”

“Can I go? I like giving people warm hugs.” Olaf flopped away from the fire in the grate, his snow sloshing quietly in the study, his portable snowstorm slowly re-freezing his body.

“Of course you can Olaf. Take care of Kristoff and Johan for me will you?”

The strange motley crew filed out of the door, pushing past a confused looking scribe, leaving the Queen to her much less entertaining paperwork. She was glad that Kristoff had found another friend in the young knight, his failed relationship with Anna having had the potential to really push him away from human contact. Elsa’s stomach let out a low growl. Lunchtime was right around the corner, and she was confident that Anna would be there, having decided to keep her sister much more informed about her schedule.

\-----------

Lunch was more crowded than usual, what would usually just be Elsa and Anna, now also counted Kristoff, Sir Johan, Count Jomdol, Amaranth and The Magician. Olaf was also present, and insisted on repeatedly attempting to eat the same fruitcake over and over, much to Amaranths sheer delight. The atmosphere was convivial and Elsa found herself enjoying the experience, if finding it slightly draining. The castle menu had been somewhat bland in the last few weeks, the more interesting food items having been shipped out to help combat the famine, but luckily onion and nettle soup was still something elsa loved. Combined with fresh made honeyed bread, potatoes and newly caught venison, the meal was still spectacular if a little rustic. Judging by the appreciative noises around the table, no-one had any complaints on the food. Elsa took the opportunity to speak to Anna whilst the rest of the table was distracted.

“Hey.” Elsa gave Anna a nudge with her hand, her sister reacting with a slightly startled jump.

“Hi!” Anna tucked a now slightly frizzy bang behind one ear, and ducked her head slightly as she settled back into her chair.

“You were staring.” Elsa gave her a reassuring smile. “I was wondering if there was something on your mind.”

“Um me? Staring? Nooo, I was just… uh. Thinking.” A slight blush crept up Anna’s cheeks. “I wanted to thank you for saving my life.”

Now it was Elsa’s turn to blush faintly.

“You walked through fire for me, Elsa. Literally. And… And you got hurt. You got hurt saving me, and I feel awful.”

“I’d do it again. I’d have done it even without the cloak. I need you in my life, Anna.”

Elsa placed a hand over Anna’s, the contact filling her with a warmth she did not want to identify. Elsa tucked the bandage up on the younger girl’s face, resecuring it behind her ear, her face drifting close. It felt wonderful to be this near to Anna, and for a moment there was nothing but the two of them and Elsa’s beating heart. She couldn’t help but notice a faint red pulse creeping up from her sisters cleavage, the rate of pulsing speeding up almost in synch with Elsa’s fluttering heart rate. Elsa forced herself to pull back, her eyes falling back to her plate as she carved another tiny piece of venison.

“You should give that gem back, Anna.” Elsa’s voice was light and flustered.

To her surprise the Magician pulled himself out of conversation with Count Jomdol, and cleared his throat in their direction.

“That is not wise, Majesty.” His voice sounded somewhat grave, and Elsa’s eyes narrowed at him as he continued. “Anna and the gem are now somewhat linked, as I am sure you have noticed. Separating them at this stage would achieve very little save causing Anna some heartache and depriving her of a powerful protective item.” He waved his hand casually. “I have no need of the gem, she may keep it.”

Anna looked thrilled, but Elsa wasn’t quite so certain.

“What does it do, Magician?”

The Magician looked around the table briefly, before flashing Elsa a smile.

“Perhaps that can wait for this afternoon’s lesson, your Majesty?”

“Perhaps this is not the place.” Elsa conceded as Amaranth crawled under her chair chasing Olaf, who was himself chasing Fuzz, the hamster triumphantly running away with Olafs carrot nose. It rapidly became apparent that lunch was turning farcical again, the magicians small furry companion conspiring with fuzz to keep the carrot out of reach of its owner. The rest of lunch passed lightheartedly, the dining room filled with good cheer and light conversation.

\-----------

It felt faintly surreal having Anna by her side entering the magical lab, a strange mixture of excitement and nerves. The younger girl squeezed Elsa’s arm reassuringly when she noticed her older sisters uncertainty and flashed her a warm smile. The scullery laboratory had undergone yet another change since the last time Elsa had entered, the strange spiderweb construction in the corner was larger now and filled with red string. Most of the alchemical equipment was long gone, although many of the scullery tables were now covered with large covered trays containing a familiar looking honey coloured substance. The lab was otherwise silent, with none of the strange smells of frenetic bubbling flasks Elsa had come to associate with it. A large pile of plush cushions and soft chairs had been strewn in one corner of the room, making a cosy looking nest close to one of the rooms secondary ovens. 

“Hellooo” Anna’s voice was exuberant and cheerful as always, filling Elsa’s heart with affection as they shared a secret grin.

The Magician trotted in from the gardens, removing a soft hat and flashing them both a broad grin.

“Your Majesty, Your Highness.” He bowed low, and gestured to the comfortable looking corner. “I had thought, since we were three, something more comfortable for now.”

They sat, composing themselves before Elsa spoke, her tone half amused, half frustrated.

“This magical gem. What does it do exactly, and is Anna in any danger?”

The magician relaxed into a squishy fabric chair, sharing a confident smile with the royals.

“It amplifies the magical powers of the wearer, drawing out any latent potential. Anyone who bears the gem will find their magical heritage awakening. I would recommend Anna stays in possession of the gem until her powers have reached full strength to avoid any unforeseen interactions.”

Anna looked thrilled, and hugged Elsa reflexively. Her voice betrayed her excitement.

“So I actually have magic? It isn’t just the necklace giving me fire powers?”

The Magician smiled warmly at her enthusiasm.

“The magic is yours, Highness. The Eye will make them stronger yes, but even were you to return the gem you would still be able to control some magical energy.”

Elsa looked momentarily relieved before changing her line of interrogation. 

“The North tower. The Truth please.”

Her voice was steely, and once again it slid off her mentor without impact. He stretched lazily as he replied.

“I think we can all agree that it was excellent news that no-one was badly hurt when the castle caught fire, as was prophesied.”

“Magician…” The word came out as a low growl.

“It was excellently fortuitous that someone had emptied the tower no? There were no casualties after all, and we have more than enough burn cream for everyone.”

Anna could no longer stifle her smile as she gently poked Elsa in the shoulder.

“Seriously Els, so what if he set it up? If the tower was going to catch fire one way or another, at least this way no-one got hurt.” Anna didn't want to admit that the other place she had thought of practicing was in one of the store rooms in the south wing. If she had started a fire there the results would have been vastly different, it gave her chills just thinking about it. Anna gave her sister’s knee a comforting pat.

“Not everyone is out to betray you Elsa, even if they do things you don’t quite understand at first.”

Elsa felt her resistance melting before the gentle pressure from Anna, she really was hopeless at resisting the feisty young woman. Her loving eyes, the wondrous curve of her face and her full lips just brushing away Elsa’s thoughts and objections, melting her heart. The way Anna was looking at her now, whilst not sultry or sexy still gave rise to an urgent need to take her elegant face in her hands and pepper it with increasingly passionate kisses. Anna’s expression was just so full of love and support, with a tantalizing air of excitement. Their perfect moment dragged on as the magician slipped away un-noticed to make tea, the hissing of the kettle bringing them out of their reverie.

Meditating with Anna so close to her should have been incredibly difficult, indeed Elsa expected the nearness of the object of her perverted desires to rather make the experience impossible. Strangely however her presence helped calm Elsa and she found her center rapidly, allowing her consciousness to expand.

This lesson’s subject was about using the flow of magic to detect magical objects and users, and Elsa found with delight that she could sense Anna easily whilst meditating, her sisters aura a deep pulsing passionate flame. Her master was significantly harder to spot, but after half an hour of trying she managed to sense his aura, the twisting bark of an ancient forest and the smell of peat and summer. 

After another hour, mostly consisting of re-learning old lessons about control and healthy emotional balance, which Anna seemed to have skipped entirely in her previous forays, the allotted time had run out. It was time for the Midsummer festival, and that meant, Anna’s birthday.

\-----------

The central courtyard of the castle was a riot of summer colours, bunting and canopies. The scent of roasted hog filled the air along with the the laughter of citizens and their children. Everything had been meticulously planned to give as much of an illusion of freedom as possible, but Anna could see the dozens upon dozens of guards on patrol, many in plain clothes. The market stalls had been carefully set up to reduce lines of fire and to provide cover, and there were more bells around than usual. There were still apple bobbing stands, games and water buckets with wet sponges, and Anna had an entire roomful of presents to give out to the children of Arendelle. The green crocus of Arendelle flew high and proud on every tower of the castle and the front gates had been thrown open in celebration.

Anna felt the reassuring presence of her sister standing next to her, and her heart swelled with love. It wasn’t the same this year, the heavy pall of the assassination threat hanging over her head, but she could see how much love and care had gone into the preparations anyway. Today was going to be a great party and nothing at all was going to change that. Not even a bit. Anna took her beautiful, lovely, gorgeous sisters hand and stepped forward into the celebrations, a rough cheer going up at her arrival.

The beer and wine had been flowing for an hour or so already when they arrived and so the party was already well under way and Anna tore into the experience like a starving wolf, bodily dragging her overly uptight and regal sister behind her like a heavenly balloon. Elsa had decided to wear the same ethereal green dress that she ordered made for the midsummer party last year remembering how much Anna had loved the dress and, she had admitted regretting not being able to enjoy wearing it as much as she could have. Anna had apparently had a dress made specially for the occasion, a crimson dress edged with orange feathery epaulets, a plunging neckline and black overbust corset. She looked stunning, yet somehow conservative at the same time and Elsa realised the dress covered all of her bandages save the one on her face.

The first stop was at the toffee apples stand, as well as a small basket of expensive and divine chocolates. Elsa found her mood lifting unassailably at the sheer joy of simply sitting on a bench outside, eating a sticky treat next to Anna and talking about nothings. Anna was excitedly clutching Elsa’s arm and shrieking with glee at each stall she could see. 

“Oh gosh Elsa the guy with the cute ferrets is here, and the stand with the rings and toys, oh and the duck fishing game!” Anna’s legs were kicking and swinging in front of her with excitement and Elsa’s heart was thoroughly swollen with love. 

“I did my best to remember what you like.” Elsa rested her head on Anna’s shoulder taking another bite out of her apple, earning a pleased hum from the younger woman. The citizenry seemed to be happy with their appearance at the party and save for a few brief conversations and some excited children the young couple was largely left alone. Elsa spotted her Magician skulking around the rear of the party a small crystal ball of some kind in one hand and a faintly pleased expression on his face. She put it out of her mind and focussed her concentration on Anna.

“So, _then_ I think we should do the ducky game, and get some roasted pig and a short mead. Then presents for the kids, what do you think Elsa?”

Elsa realised that she had missed a few steps, but she was sure that Anna would fill her in.

“Whatever you want my little firebug.” She knew her face was painted with exactly how she felt, and she did not give a damn, Anna was just too precious. Anna’s face crinkled slightly.

“Firebug? I don’t think so, that's way too cutesy for me.”

That earned a hearty laugh from Elsa, causing Anna to riposte with a stuck out tongue and a gentle jab to the ribs. Elsa gasped in pain as Anna struck one of her burns.

“Oh shoot! Elsa, I’m so so sorry! Oh gosh, nonono. Are you ok?”

Anna fussed over Elsa as she straightened slowly, wincing faintly in pain.

“Anna it’s fine! I’m fine.” She gave Anna a brave smile. “Please, stop fussing.”

Anna gently took Elsa by the arm and led her away into the celebration as they finished the last of their toffee apples. Their next stop it appeared was apple bobbing, with Anna taking full advantage of her injury to insist that Elsa bob for her.

“Doctors orders after all. Try for that one! I’ve got a good feeling about that one.”

Anna gestured excitedly at an apple, apparently no different to its brethren, but in some way interesting to the birthday girl. Elsa took a deep breath and did her best to unhinge her jaw as she went for the apple. Elsa prided herself on being excellent at everything she put her mind to, but now thrashing around in the water with her mouth wide open trying and failing to grip a rapidly escaping apple she was rapidly growing frustrated. Anna giggling in her nearby vicinity wasn’t helping.

The water froze briefly, the barest swirl of magic allowing Elsa to gently nip an apple and raise out of the bucket triumphantly.

“You filthy cheater sis!” Anna was now all but howling with laughter, as Elsa cokced an eyebrow at her, an apple plugged in her mouth like a suckling pig.

“Mrmph?”

Anna was fanning her face furiously with one hand, whilst clutching her ribs with the other arm, her features lit up with sheer joy. They unscrewed the wax coated peg from the apple, presenting it to the man running the bobbing stand and received a brightly coloured spinning top for Elsa’s trouble. Anna put the top into a small basket she purchased from a stand nearby and threw the apple to a small child running past.

Next up was a trip to the tiny petting zoo set up in the corner of the square.Anna coo-ed and ahh-ed over the array of preened and washed animals, from a young sheep, to juvenile rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, chickens and hamsters and more. There was even a foal, who charmed Anna out of more than a few treats, and chuffed happily in her ear. One of the towns artists shyly approached the queen and asked if she wanted a sketch of Anna and herself enjoying themselves and she gladly agreed, the man’s deft and rapid charcoal quickly capturing the essence of the scene before him.

The sun was starting its long descent into the night by the time they had reached the duck fishing game. A small circular channel of treated barrel-wood held a little river of toy wooden ducks, their stately progress propelled by a small waterfall fed from a large water butt. The person playing had to stand on a short wobbly stool armed with a tiny fishing rod and hook the ducks out by the hook on their back. Each duck would win a prize, assuming the player was able to snare any ducks at all within the time limit. Elsa knew from past experience that this was one of Anna’s favourite games at the fayre and she had paid extra to ensure that it was running at its best today. Elsa also knew from past experience that this was one game that Anna was terrible at.

Anna stood on the stool, wobbling faintly on the intentionally unbalanced seat and Elsa could see her relax visibly. Even without using her magic Elsa could sense her sisters aura lighting up, as she gently filled herself with magic.

“Now who is cheating dear sister?” Elsa called out tauntingly, as Anna elegantly hooked a duck from the stream with a deft swing of the fishing rod. Anna smirked and remained silent, deep in concentration as she skillfully hooked another wooden animal from the stream. The attendant laughed looking at the sand timer still half full beside him.

“You bin’ practicing your Highness? Trying to put me out of business after all these years?”

Elsa subtly aimed a low, weak gust of frozen air at the stool under Anna’s feet, causing it to wobble precariously. Anna let out a shriek of enjoyment as she flailed wildly trying to keep her balance. To Elsa amused frustration she still managed to hook another duck on the way past, just in time for the sand timer to run down. Their haul from that particular activity was a small stuffed wolf toy, a miniature kite and a small wooden carved duck, painted green. Anna put them in her bag, her face beaming with delight as she hugged Elsa. Elsa felt decidedly warm under the collar as she returned the very public display of affection, but she saw nothing but smiles and happiness in the eyes of her people.

_That would change if they knew how you felt._

She did her best to banish such negative thoughts as they headed over to the hog roasting stand, a future filled with a steaming roll filled with delicious tender meat and salted bacon in their future. 

Some short time later, now having sated their hunger with a pair of huge sandwiches with all of the trimmings Elsa and Anna rang the midsummer bell in the centre of the courtyard. The town children, many of whom had been standing by eyeing the royals for exactly this event rushed the centre of the courtyard. The bell meant only one thing, it was officially Princess Anna’s birthday, and that meant presents. Anna had started the tradition herself when she was only six, noting on a birthday outing that it didn't seem fair that the other children got nothing for her birthday, and she had insisted on getting the other children in the town toys. Their father had put up his customary attempt at dissuading her, and, as had been tradition, failed miserably. In the years since the tradition had come to include a few marks for the children’s parents as well, to help offset the costs of the midsummer festival and food for the child.

Seeing Anna like this, surrounded by her adoring people was how Elsa always wanted to remember her and she made a motion at the old artist from earlier. He seemed to take her meaning and desperately scampered for a high position, his papers and easel set up fluidly but with care. Elsa basked in the reflected sunshine that was Anna, her infectious enthusiasm for learning each new childs name, and her seemingly inexhaustible ability to remember all of the other children's names only heaped fuel on her popularity with her people. Elsa herself was thanked and greeted by each family after they had received their present and she was, as usual shocked by just how keen to see her everyone in Arendelle was. Indeed the guard standing next to her had to work hard to keep the line moving, such was the desire of her people to spend time with her.

“Dealt with the bandits right good you did, Majesty.”

“Roads are starting to look a little better already, don’t know what you did, but thank you.”

“Don’t you worry about the little blizzard earlier, Majesty, just a hiccup is all. We’ll manage now with your help.”

“So honoured to meet you at last, Majesty. You really are as kind as they say, we just moved here.”

Elsa’s head was starting to spin from all of the people, but the lines began to thin and she took a deep breath and cleared her head. She could get through this, for Anna.

\-----------

 

The Ghost materialised just inside the courtyard, just as the adorable child left Princess Anna’s lap, her crossbow swung up, the lighter frame of this weapon trading distance and accuracy for a far superior handling in a tight environment.

_Besides, It’s not like I can carry anything else at the moment._

Her sides ached, her left arm was still in agony the chunk of flesh missing would take months to heal, and likely would never work completely right again. Her breathing was still somewhat laboured from the broken rib. She sighted the poisoned bolt and simply let her instincts take over.

And hesitated.

_This is all so wrong. Why do you have to be so… so… lovely._

**WHAM**

The crossbow clattered uselessly from her limp fingers as the heavy butt of the guardsman's crossbow connected with the back of her head and The Ghost slipped silently into oblivion, her task a failure. Her vision was filled with an expensive but tired looking pair of boots striding confidently in her direction, a dull red cloak lined with green, taunting her darkening vision.

_Forgive me Shaun_

\-----------

Elsa was all but ready to flee when the last family had said their goodbyes and so she was startled by the approach of Guardsman Duff, the young lieutenant looking positively overjoyed. He all but jogged over and leaned in close, handing Elsa a note and giving her an exageragted wink.

“Enjoy the rest of the evening, Majesty, I know Anna will. Glory to Arendelle!”

Elsa looked confused at his sudden merriment, but assumed it would make sense later. She caught up with Anna who seemed almost as tired as she was, but nevertheless was determined to have more fun.

“Glass of mead, Elsa?

“Yes. I think that would be lovely.”

Sat in the shade of a private garden just around the corner from the festivities, Elsa took the opportunity to read the note and her sudden change in emotion startled Anna enough for her to comment immediately.

“Elsa? What is it, what’s wrong? You look like you are about to cry!”

Elsa wordlessly passed Anna the note, and her sister read the short missive, her glee becoming immediately apparent.

“ _Your most Royal Majesty, and Royal Highness, we have captured and neutralised the assassin known as The Ghost. She is available for interview tomorrow at Your Majesty's convenience._

 _Your Loyal Servant and Royal Astrologer._ ”

“Oh, Elsa, that is perfect! Just the best birthday present ever. We can ask her who hired her, and then throw them out on their ear, and I can be free again! I can go into town, or out of the castle, or… ooh.” Anna’s eyes twinkled with an idea. “We can go on that date.”

Elsa gulped. She felt a change of tack was in order to save herself from the thoughts swimming in her brain. She fumbled in her small elegant handbag, brought over by an assistant, loitering in the shadows, and presented Anna with a small giftwrapped box.

This, was evidently Anna’s birthday present. She suddenly looked solemn and rather nervous as she reverentially too the small box from Elsa’s hands. Anna unwrapped it slowly, lifting the lid of the box as though the crown jewels of Arendelle itself were inside.

The box contained a pair of rose gold earrings, a doves wing, with a ruby set in the heart of the wing. The earrings were nestled alongside some exquisitely expensive looking gold leaf rectangles. The leaf had, in elegant swirling script, the words “ _One Wish_ written on them in what appeared to be silver. They flashed in the night.

“I… I couldn’t think what you wanted for your birthday, if not” Elsa gestured at the fayre “This. But not getting you anything felt insufficient. And the earrings didn’t seem like enough on their own so…”

Anna looked overcome at the gift, and she almost knocked the table over in her haste to crush Elsa in a hug. She was laughing and crying gentle happy tears, as she peppered elsa’s face with brief kisses. Some flight of madness seized Elsa and she found herself moving forwards, her body almost moving beyond her control.

She captured Anna’s lips with her own, but for a fraction of a moment. For that moment time seemed to stand still, all sound stopped meaning anything to Elsa and she just _was_. The kiss was simple, chaste and short, and it made Elsa’s lips buzz and tingle with a thousand unspoken promises when she pulled away. Anna was stunned, sat on her lap, frozen by the sudden action. An alien emotion briefly passed across Anna’s face which Elsa recognised from… somewhere, before her sister resumed her boisterous laughter and hugs.

Elsa’s heart rate was running at a million miles per hour, and she felt lighter than air. She just prayed that she had not made a terrible mistake.

\-----------

The next morning felt strangely empty when Elsa awoke, and she felt a yearning in the pit of her soul. Elsa uncurled herself from around a pillow and looked around her room. Waking up alone had never bothered her before, it had simply been an unthinking reality of her life, but now. She had a powerful urge to sprint from her room and find Anna and hug the hell out of her. Touching her hair absentmindedly she realised she also needed to find Amaranth and give her a cuddle as well, it had been the first time in several days that the young girl had slept in her own room. The young girl had thoroughly enjoyed herself at the Midsummer fayre, staying up till gone midnight playing with the village children and enjoying the games available. By the time the dancing had started she was already starting to tire, but by roughly one in the morning it had become apparent to Elsa that she was on the verge of collapse and she had put her daughter to bed.

Daughter. It still felt strange to Elsa that she and Anna technically had a child. Strictly speaking Anna was probably, legally, Amaranth’s aunt, although they had somewhat flouted convention and put Anna’s name on the adoption papers as well for safety’s sake.

And now, Elsa had woken up alone, without Anna or Amaranth for company and she found herself needing to admit that it was heartbreaking. She had always believed that she did not really like or need human contact all that much, but this morning, the day after midsummer, was enough to shatter the last of that lie. As she slithered from her cold bed and made her way to her empty bathroom she felt surrounded by the ghosts of happiness. She tried to force herself to sit through her morning routine, discretely excrete, wash, clean teeth, brush hair, dress. She got as far as cleaning her teeth, before she just couldn’t take it any more. She should have been shoved out of her seat at least once by now, certainly should have needed to help someone with a lace and so far, disappointingly had not had anything stolen from her, leading to a chase followed by a cuddle. The hell with this. She threw on a robe, grabbed a hairbrush and headed out into the corridor, intent on brushing her daughter's hair, come hell or high water. 

They froze. Teal eyes meet Azure. Two identical embarrassed flushes, and, Elsa couldn’t help but notice two hairbrushes. 

“Hi”

“Hi”

The both broke into giggles at the same second, Anna clutching the doorframe and her hairbrush, and Elsa covering her mouth with her fingers. Anna’s hair was a spectacular bombshell mess, and Elsa knew that hers must have been similar. Anna looked so perfect regardless, her strawberry coloured robe a contrast for Elsa’s unsurprisingly sky blue selection.

“You look like you need a hand with your hair.”

Elsa couldn’t help but let her smile into her voice as she looked at her sister's legendarily unruly hair. Anna giggled briefly again, before replying in a breathy whisper.

“You look gorgeous. Your hair, I mean. How do you make your hair look so gorgeous without brushing it? Gosh, I’m rambling.”

Elsa heard a distinct quiet chuckle from the royal guard who was privy to this exchange, standing stiff at attention about three feet away. She gave herself a mental shake, before giving Anna a warm sisterly smile.

“Shall we see if Amaranth is awake? Perhaps we can do something about our various disasters?”

“Yep! Definitely. Can’t wait. Her hair is going to be spectacular, she was rolling in mud, chasing the boys, sword fighting the works last night.”

This prompted a raised eyebrow, as Elsa took anna’s arm in hers.

“Chasing boys? Swordfighting? I do hope you are joking Anna, or am I going to have to have some stern words with our daughter about appropriate behaviour for a princess?”

Elsa’s words were serious, but her tone was decidedly not, but Anna still had to check her eyes for reassurance. She murmured something almost inaudible under her breath before knocking on Amaranths door.

“Mighta been easier if either of us was interesting in chasing boys.”

Elsa leaned in, only slightly confident that she had heard correctly, her lips almost brushing her sister's ear.

“Never be ashamed of who you are Anna. Who either of us are.”

A faint voice echoed from the other side of the door.

“I’m awake! Been awake for ages.”

That provoked a giggle from Elsa, who whispered again.

“Definitely your daughter though.”

Anna giggled in response, triggering a cascade of giggles from the two girls who pushed open the door to their daughter's bedroom, hairbrushes at the ready. It wasn’t exactly enough, but it was a wonderful morning anyway and Elsa got to indulge her need for cuddles, as well as ruthlessly tickling the young girl at least once before they headed out to breakfast as a family.

The castle was starting to feel like home again.

\-----------

Elsa and Anna went their separate ways after breakfast, with Anna taking charge of Amaranths lessons for the day, as well as signing the day’s trade acknowledgements and missives. Elsa meanwhile went to the royal study to sign a few last decrees, before she had to face death itself, the legendary assassin The Ghost.

Her tangled thoughts were interrupted by an unusual pair of visitors, the Barons Havriggar and Jomdol. Elsa brightened slightly at their appearance, although she had still not truly forgiven Count Jomdol for his lax loyalty earlier in the year, she had come to understand a little more of his character. The brash older count was the first to speak.

“Your Majesty! I hate to interrupt you this fine morning, especially so close to midsummer, but Havriggar and I had a proposal we wanted to run past you.”

Elsa wasn’t sure where he was going with this, but it seemed unlikely that Havriggar was going to help him propose something diabolical. Indeed Havriggar appeared to be relaxed and smiling, and mildly hungover if Elsa was any judge. 

“Did I ever tell you that my childhood home burned to the ground?” The Counts voice was light, but serious. Elsa faintly recalled something of that nature in a politics lesson at some point.

“I’m sorry to hear that Count.” Elsa’s sadness was genuine. Whilst she held no affection for the man, she could not imagine the loss inflicted by the scenario, and she faintly recalled something about the man’s mother perishing in a blaze.

“Mikael, please, Your Majesty.” The count said, with a slightly sad smile. Elsa acknowledged him.

“Mikael, please continue.”

“I saw firsthand the other day how much of a difference it makes having a man who knows what he is doing in the event of a fire. I can’t stop wondering how much of a difference it might have made.” He was evidently fighting his emotions slightly, perhaps the free supplies of spirits and good cheer had unnerved him somewhat. “It happened the day before midsummer you know.”

Havriggar placed a hand on the counts shoulder companionably, speaking for him briefly.

“We were thinking, midsummer is the most dangerous season for fire, and well, with everything, we wanted to do something.”

Elsa’s interest was now thoroughly piqued, this sounded like something real and substantive, something to help her people. Fire was deadly in midsummer, and whilst Arendelle had not had a serious fire in almost 10 years, house fires were common enough and lethal. Mikael had clearly recovered his composure enough to continue.

“We were thinking of some manner of fire rangers, a voluntary service perhaps with a small stipend, but with the authority to direct in an emergency. Your man Kai was deeply impressive, Your Majesty.”

Elsa felt a smile lighting up her face, regal composure be damned. Now _This_ was what being a Queen was all about. She spent an altogether pleasurable ten minutes discussing the particulars of an official fire response service and how to arrange such a group. She was almost floored when the Count flatly stated that it should be the duty of each individual noble to pay his own marshalls and further the he was willing to put up the initial cash needed to start the organisation. The only thing left would be to officially re secure her throne at the Diet, now less than a week ago. It seemed as though she now had Count Jomdol’s support. Perhaps today was going to be a good day after all. 

\-----------

The Magicians presence was comforting. Despite Elsa’s more recent reservations about some of his covert activities he did seem to genuinely have her best interests at heart, and had already taken a bolt for someone she loved. Elsa was glad to have him at her side as she stood before the castle dungeons, the door leading down into the vaults below the castle foreboding with the promise of rats and dampness.

“She has not been questioned much yet, your Majesty. I was hoping you might assign the task to me, although Captain Aran insists that he be allowed to interrogate her in the most extensive manner permissible.”

Elsa suppressed a faint shudder. Elsa’s next question came out in a quiet pained voice.

“He want’s to torture her I presume?”

“He does. It is his… opinion, that it will provide useful information on who hired her. I think all it will achieve is to implicate whoever we want to be guilty.” The magician spat into a nearby potted plant.

“And what would you do with this... killer? She killed Amaranths father, she tried to kill Anna!”

Elsa felt her fury growing at the thought, and steadied herself on the doorframe.

“I am not suggesting clemency Majesty… just catching flies with honey instead of vinegar.”

Elsa looked at him confused for a moment, the expression clearly alien to her.

“I mean we are more likely to get the truth, or at least something that we can use, by treating her like a person and being sympathetic. She is utterly at our mercy right now, and she knows it.”

“I’m not sure I can manage to be nice, Magician. She tried to kill Anna.”

Elsa had locked eyes with her companion, doing her best to stay calm, his soothing voice both helping and infuriating her.

“And what would your lovely sister do if she was here?”

Elsa blinked, completely disarmed for a moment. She forced out a short laugh.

“She would probably find a way to give her a puppy. Anna forgives almost everyone. Well, almost. She DID punch Prince Hans in the face.”

Elsa sighed, running a hand across her face, smudging her makeup slightly. Anna would probably smile sweetly, get the girl to tell them her life story and then banish her, but Elsa knew her nobility would see that as weakness. The idea of simply letting a cold hearted killer go free just did not sit well with Elsa.

After a moment's deliberation Elsa opened the door to the dungeons and descended into the chilly castle underchambers.


	11. Tea and Cake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This weeks episode "almost" delayed, but I squeaked it in before the deadline. I'm not 100% happy with this chapter (maybe 70% happy tbh), but I figured it would be easier to post it up and come back to it later if necesary, once the rest of the story is done. Next week, crazy dates, more interviews with an assassin, and random acts of badassery.

There were store rooms down here, as well as a room for laying out the dead, and even a backup armory. If Elsa had not simply been able to ask the guards for directions she would have been hopelessly lost. The dungeons were warmer and more well lit than she was perhaps expecting, a touch colder than upstairs yes, but still dry and well lit. If Elsa had been expecting rats, spiders and bats she was rather disappointed, or perhaps relieved would be more accurate, this was functionally indistinguishable from some of the storage cupboards in the heart of the castle where she and Anna had played as children. Elsa was surprised to discover that the castle had a small variety of cells, from a large holding cage for drunks and vagrants, to the small regular cells with storybook style cage doors. The Ghost was apparently held at the far back of the dungeon, in one of the deep, solid all enclosed cells, with a thick foreboding wooden door. Captain Aran was already standing guard nearby, clearly eager to begin the interrogation. Elsa noticed him hastily suppressing a scowl at the presence of the Magician but his face soon became a smooth mask of professionalism. 

“Your Majesty.” Captain Aran bowed deeply. “The Prisoner is ready for interrogation, I would like to know how we intend to proceed?”

He shot a stern glance at the Magician as he straightened from his bow. Elsa put on a diplomatic smile and stepped forwards capturing the Captain’s hand in hers.

“Captain, I appreciate your zeal to protect myself and my sister, truly I do. Without your constant vigilance I have no doubt my sister and I would have been slain long ago.” Elsa paused for a moment, marshalling her thoughts and the captain took the opportunity.

“I assume there is a “but” coming, Your Majesty?” He smiled, suddenly looking faintly weary. Elsa nodded in the slightest fashion before continuing.

“I don’t… Torture isn’t _us_ Captain. Anna would never forgive me and… I worry it would make me no better than our enemies. If the Magician has a way of extracting what we need magically, we would be fools not to use it surely?”

“I would like to be present, Majesty. I feel very strongly about this.” Aran’s voice was firm.

Elsa looked at the Magican briefly, and he replied with a smile and a shrug.

“The good captain can be present, but I would like authority to lead on this. It won’t work if I cannot promise her bread, food, safety, those manners of things.”

Elsa nodded, her resolve hardening.

“Then let us speak with this monster, and see what she knows.”

\-----------

She was barely a woman. Elsa had not expected that, nor had she expected how thin and hungry she would look. The feared assassin was chained to a wall in her cell, a pair of glowing purple runes on her manacles. She was chained crucifixion style, and almost all of her clothes had been taken away. She was shivering faintly, her long straight black hair hanging limply over her grey eyes. She could possibly be beautiful, Elsa thought, if she had enough to eat, washed and wasn’t covered almost head to toe in bloody bandages.

The Magician wasted no time in striding forwards and unlocking the girl from the wall with a tiny silver key fished from a pouch on his belt, and catching the girl as she fell forwards. He stroked her hair softly, whispering words of power under his breath and Elsa felt the gentle rush of golden energy in the room. The Ghost gasped and shuddered faintly as colour returned to her cheeks, and some of her waxy complexion faded. The Magician looked up, his voice and expression angry.

“Bring a chair and a table. And give a solid clip round the ear to whomever thought someone in this condition should be chained to a wall and not a bed.”

Aran’s eyes widened slightly at the obvious display of magic, but nodded reluctantly, his eyes taking in the girls stained bandages and her obvious near death condition. A rough chair and square table were fetched from one of the adjoining guard rooms, and the magician propped the young woman up in the chair, her hands still manacled. She took a moment, staring at the table, her breathing stabilizing to a steady rhythm before she lifted her head slightly. She remained silent, and would not meet anyone’s gaze. Captain Aran looked as though he was about to speak, but the Magician cut him off as he hunkered down on the opposite end of the table and spoke to the young assassin. 

“This is her Royal Majesty Queen Elsa Arendelle, This knight is Captain Aran of the Royal Guard and I am known as the Magician. We would like to ask you some questions, but first I was wondering if you would like something to eat and drink?”

Her gaze jerked up at the Magican, a look of uncertainty etched on her face.

“Yes.” Disbelief and caution was evident in her voice.

“Of course. Would you like soup, or something more substantial? I believe we have some cold venison and mint potatoes left over.”

“Meat?” now she sounded thoroughly confused. The magician smiled at her.

“Of course, contrary to what you may have heard, not all royalty are monsters and especially not the Royal Family of Arendelle.”

Elsa noticed Captain Arans eyebrow twitching slightly, but he kept himself in check. She had no doubt that he would have conducted this interview very differently, but she was glad that the Magician was here in truth. She was starting to forget that this half dead, half starved, sick young woman before her was responsible for the attempts on her sister's life. She stepped forwards and cleared her throat, slightly surprising herself.

“I apologise for your conditions prior to my arrival. I had… made assumptions on how you would be treated. I was not anticipating you being chained to a wall, and I had assumed you would have received some medical treatment. I shall have a word with my staff.”

This drew a faintly inquisitive look from the young woman before her and for the first time in the interview she met the queens eyes. It was obvious that this young woman was studying her face intently, and that she was terrified and curious in equal measure. The Queen was again struck with just how young this woman was, she could not have been yet 20, and here she was a feared assassin, with almost a dozen kills under her belt in her short career. Her voice had a slight accent to it, perhaps from the highlands of albion, but mixed with a thick nordic edge from the high mountains.

“It was more than I deserved, no?” She sounded wretched, but had a clear defiant streak. She shook her head and returned her eyes to the table. The room fell silent for a moment, with the Magician fumbling with a pottery gourd on his belt.

“I’ll send someone to get you some food immediately, but in the meantime perhaps you would like some water? It has a bit of mint in it for flavour.”

He shook the gourd at her, before removing the stopper and pouring some into his mouth and swallowing it. The young woman took the gourd like it was the holy grail itself, and drank greedily until it was totally empty, going as far as to lick the last drops of water from the spout. She chewed the small number of leaves which had fallen out of the bottle contemplatively. The sound of servants being fetched with food could be heard in the faint distance and the young woman's eyes flicked towards the open door.

“Your food is coming, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to be patient.” The magician tried to capture her attention again, dragging her eyes away from the tantalising open door despite the near dozen royal guards outside. “Hey. Look at me.”

She looked, seeming to lose herself in his eyes for a moment.

“Trust me, ok? Just a few questions, then you can eat. Nothing difficult.”

She nodded, still unsure. Elsa shut the door gently, shooting the young woman an apologetic smile when her eyes snapped across to the sound. Elsa mentally kicked herself. She was supposed to be furious with this murderer. The girl in front of her was a monster damnit.

_I was a monster. I could have been one. I killed people._

The Queen blinked a few times.

_Oh. Are we the same after all? I nearly killed Anna. I DID kill Anna. I am worse than this woman ever could be. The sudden blizzard I created. I never found out how many lives that took, never wanted to know._

Elsa tried to get a hold of herself, focusing her thoughts. She had to find out if the Duke had hired this woman, and if he had, then nothing would spare her wrath on that vile excuse for a creature. The Magician was talking again, gently probing for answers.

“What is your real name?”

“I don’t know why you care.” The assassin had been seized by a deep melancholy it seemed, the reality of her situation sinking in Elsa supposed. These were the last human contacts she was going to have before the end of her life, and they were not remotely fair.

“Humour me, if you would. An easy question or two, hmm? Which would you like as a reward, a blanket and a pillow, or some nice clothes?”

The girl looked thoughtful for a moment, her despair still an ever present emotion.

“A bath.”

The magician chuckled, Elsa could hear Captain Aran scoff quietly.

“My name is Lachina. Lachina Cooper. I was born to clan Dingwall in the highlands.”

The Magician smiled at her truly, before rustling in his belt and taking out a small wax paper parcel. Opening it he revealed a small pile of expensive looking chocolate, clearly pilfered from the castle kitchens. He ate a piece and casually offered the packet around the room. Elsa took a piece immediately and slipped it onto her tongue, the treat melting in a divine fashion. Captain Aran tried to wave the parcel away but after a sharp nudge in the ribs from his Queen relented and took a piece, his suddenly more peaceful expression giving truth to his lie.

The young woman looked on at the proffered chocolate with a faintly offended expression.

“Am I a dog, is that it? Do a good thing, get a treat aye?”

“Well, I mean if you don’t want it?” Eyes twinkling mischievously he half pulled the parcel away from her back in the captain’s direction, amused at her reflexively following the chocolate with her eyes.

“Oh give me a damn bit.” She opened her mouth and the Magician popped a piece on her tongue. Her eyes rolled back into her head briefly, and she let out a noise of pleasure. The Magician waited for her to come back down to earth.

“So, Lachina, a harder question. What is your favourite food?”

“Is this some kind of a joke?” She asked, slightly marveling at the Magicians shaking head. “Fine then, Pfeffernusse. You?” She was mildly mocking.

“Amarula Puff Cookies, from the far kingdom of Punt. They are absolutely delicious, but if you eat too many you get the devil of a hangover.”

Lachina laughed briefly, but out loud.

“Are you trying to give soldier boy there some kind of a heart attack? He looks like he wants to rip out your spine right now. I tried to kill the princess and you're here asking me about biscuits.”

Elsa was amazed at the Captain's restraint, he barely made a noise, although Elsa could just about hear it. She subtly reached over and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. He froze instantly, apparently calmed by her touch.

“No, I can assure you that I am deadly serious. I want to get to know you a little better Lachina, find out how we can help each other.”

“I can’t help you wizard boy.” The energy seemed to flow out of her, what little there was, and she slumped back into the chair.

“You know, I have been in a place where I though no-one could help me before. It just took a bit of trust, to see the other people around me as people, and suddenly whole new avenues opened up to me.”

“Pretty words. They don’t mean much to a dead woman.”

“I’ll have a bath drawn for you. A hot one, with a couple of extra warm buckets too, whenever you want. Then i will have the royal physician come down and clean you up. Sound good?”

“Why bother.” her voice was sulky.

“Because you want to say yes.” The Magician supplied, proffering around another piece of chocolate. Sulking or not, Lachina took another piece and ate it, fighting to keep the smile from her face.

“Fine.”

“So, Blanket and pillow, or nice clothes?”

“Blanket.” She replied.

“Two more questions. A bit harder this time, but you can do this.”

“Hah. What is it this time? Favourite animal? I like foxes. Me mams name was Eva, and me Da was a clansman called Fredoc. Anything else you want to know?”

“I’m partial to rabbits myself, they make me smile. My parents are… complicated.” The Magician laughed, before continuing.

“But no, a different question. Do you have anyone you care about in Arendelle that you want us to look after?”

The young woman stilled, no she froze. She almost stopped breathing at the question, and she looked straight at the magican. 

“You can’t. And I can’t tell you.”

The Magician gave her a soft smile and patted her on the hand gently.

“All right. Last question. You might not believe me, but you are doing great.” He paused before continuing.

“Have you ever had anyone to talk to about your abilities before?”

The girl looked almost heartbroken.

“No. Not really. No-one who understood.”

Elsa cleared her throat tentatively.

“I… I have quite a bit of experience of what that is like. The loneliness, the isolation. You just _know_ that no-one can understand.” Elsa really could not believe she was suggesting this. “If… if you wanted. We could talk. Maybe? Compare notes?” She ventured a small smile.

“But… No!” the girl virtually shouted, still weak from her injuries and lack of food. “This is all wrong! So wrong.” She was crying now. “You are supposed to hate me, torture me. Then you hang me, or cut of my head with an axe. I die. And… and everyone else lives. That is the only way this can end.”

The Magician gently enveloped the young woman’s shoulders in a strong embrace, drying her tears on his chest. He stayed that way until the food arrived with the servants, Elsa and Aran sharing a look off to one side. In its way, this was torture, without brands or irons he was breaking the girl. She eventually ceased crying, the lure of food too strong to resist and she began cramming cold meat and potatoes into her mouth. The Magician stood and indicated that they should leave.

“We are going to leave you in peace now, Lachina. I’ll have the royal physician and your bath down shortly. You have more than earned that blanket too.” The girl seemed dazed, venison juice dripping down her chin. “We will be back tomorrow, rest up.”

After they had left and closed the door, another royal guard stationing himself inside, Captain Aran wheeled on the Magician.

“What the hell was that? We were supposed to be interrogating the girl! Not whatever the hell that was!”

The magician laughed as he lead them out of the dungeon, giving Aran a playful bump on the shoulder.

“And interrogate her we did! We know her name, her parentage, where she grew up. Even her favourite food to bribe her with next time, as a test of her truthfulness. We even got a hint of her true nature, she fancies herself a fox. Stealthy and cunning, but with a hint of playfulness and not above doing the dirty work and eating out of a bin occasionally.”

“And what use is that? Does it tell us who hired her? How much did he pay? Is the bastard going to try again?”

“She isn’t doing this for the money. That should be obvious, there is a family member, or loved one involved. Hostage or similar, and she is terrified they are going to die if she tells us anything. She is expecting her master to try and kill her for failing I would wager, we should be wary of poison, or attempts on her life.”

“Are you trying to use her as bait?” Captain Aran asked, looking skeptical.

“Not specifically, but she might serve. No, she wants to live, to escape and hopefully try and rescue or return to her loved one. We can use that, offer her things she wants in exchange for the truth, get her to like us. If Elsa talks to her, makes friends, she will gladly tell her who hired her over three or four cups of mead and basket of cookies. She just needs to trust that you will try to help rescue her family member, and with your reputation…”

Elsa found herself slightly taken aback, she knew that the Magician was capable of being devious, but hearing him discuss things in such bald terms was still faintly unsettling. Elsa resolved that if she was going to pretend to be friends with this girl, she was going to do it right.

_There but for the grace of the Gods go I. I had never really thought on that phrase before. I probably should have._

Elsa felt faintly sick as they left the dungeons, Captain Aran and the Magician discussing how best to track down the girl's family, or origin. 

\-----------

Anna had been driven to the brink of tearing out her hair by being confined to the castle by the assassination threat, and now she was technically free to go out again, at least for a day or so. And yet, here she was, doing paperwork. Blasted trade missives.

_Yes, we received that, thank you, Yes we can pay, We are happy for you to defer payment until next year if you deliver some collateral._

She could hear the sound of Amaranth counting loudly from the corner and it gave her the strength to keep writing, after all the sooner she got all this done, the sooner she could go play. Anna still felt a little guilty, but Amaranth had been the best thing to happen to Elsa since... forever.

_Elsa_

Anna’s lips lit up with tingly fire, and she felt herself flush with the memory of her birthday kiss. She was certain that Elsa had meant nothing by it at the time, but it had been all Anna had been able to think about since. Gods, just thinking about her sister's gorgeous curves, her sultry eyes, her deadly smile. She could have just ravished her then and there, right in front of everyone and damn the consequences.

“Your face is on fire moma.”

Anna blinked. Two things struck her simultaneously. This was the first time that Amaranth had referred to her as moma, and that just made her heart explode in _The Best_ way. She felt tears gathering instantly, as well as a slight gnawing guilt at how gleeful she was. The second and much less important thing, was that her lips were indeed, actually on fire. The warm tingly sensation was quite literal. 

“So it is.” She said offhandedly as she brought a hand up to her face as though she were wiping away stray food or lipstick.

_I hope this works_

Anna wiped the flames from her mouth and hurled them into the fireplace, where they impacted with the unlit grate with a faint “paf” noise before going out. Anna grinned at her daughter.

_Our daughter. I hope she feels the same._

“Thanks Red, guess I got bored for a minute, but sadly a girl’s gotta work. You getting on ok with those numbers, sounds like you're reading like a champ!”

Amaranth smiled and slightly covered her face with the book, before pointedly beginning to read aloud again. She was still shy to take compliments, but Anna was determined to break her out of her shell and get her ready to take on the world.

_And I’m going to do it with love, and gentle poking. None of this shouting and stuff._

Anna got back to the paperwork briefly, desperately trying to chase sultry images of Elsa from her mind. Luckily she was saved by a servant knocking at the door.

“Your Highness, our… ah. Unusual guests, have informed me that they will be leaving this evening, under cover of darkness. They wanted you to be informed.”

Anna nodded, looking faintly thoughtful.

“Thanks! I think I might go visit them for a bit, I do have a few questions. Hey Red, wanna come?”

The book snapped shut before Anna had even finished the sentence, and the two skipped out of the office hand in hand. 

\-----------

“Pabbie! Bulda! Cliff! Hey everyone!” Anna greeted the trolls with an enthusiastic wave as she entered the spare room they had taken up residence in, the bluestone boulders just a small collection of slightly mossy rocks to anyone else’s eyes. They were clearly “sleeping”, although as far as Anna understood it it wasn’t really the same, and they did not mind being woken up.

Amaranth looked confused, and more than a little dubious about the fact that her new mother appeared to be talking to a collection of boulders. She was of course delighted when they started to roll around and transform into a collection of short stoney people, all of whom were excited to see them both. Bulda in particular was fussing all over Amaranth, exclaiming how cute and darling she was. Anna navigated her way over to Grand Pabbie, greeting and thanking all of the enthusiastic trolls for their interest and help.

“Anna.” The old troll seemed pleased to see her. “What brings you to us child, do you seek our council?”

“Um. It’s. I was talking with Kristoff. Well, sort of. A few months ago, he mentioned that he saw me when we were younger. I don’t remember that at all. But… I don’t remember Elsa having magic either and.” Anna was wringing her hands and slightly pacing.

“I am sorry, Anna.” Grand Pabbie looked truly contrite, and Anna froze in her pacing. “Your father brought you to us, when you were very young. You had a magical injury, a curse of sorts.”

“I don’t.” Anna’s eyes went wide. “Elsa”

Anna’s thoughts slid together, pieces of a puzzle finally starting to make sense. Her streak of icy white hair and its mysterious appearance.

“You had some kind of accident I gather, your sister was devastated. I had to cure you, for she had no way of doing so.”

“You took my memories!” Anna pointed an accusatory finger at the old troll. “I know everyone thinks I’m not all that smart, but I can work out when things don’t make sense. Most of my best memories of playing with Elsa happen in winter, but there just wasn’t enough time! Do you know how many good memories of playing with her in summer I have? None! Some in spring, a couple in autumn, but summer? None.”

Her nostrils were flaring as she paced back and forth ranting, although she was not truly angry or shouting. Anna was agitated, excited and rambling.

“I have a memory of building a snowman, _On My Birthday_ which, was yesterday, by the way. I thought i was crazy until I found out Elsa had ice powers, and then, ohoho. Then it made sense, sort of. But now, I realised I can’t actually remember anything properly, because nothing Elsa did made sense after that day.”

Anna flopped onto a barrel, her faint anger spent already. The old troll waddled over, placing a hand out to make contact with Anna’s hand.

“It was the only way, Highness. You had been struck in the head and I cured you the only way I knew how, you would have turned to ice otherwise.”

Anna puffed her cheeks, blew out the air and then smiled.

“It’s just nice to know I’m not crazy, I guess. I’m sorry I shouted, Grand Pabbie, I’m not really mad at you, I’m just a bit stir crazy right now. Can I get them back? My memories?”

Grand Pabbie placed his hands together for a moment, a purple glowing light coalescing between his hands. The strobing light threw stars across the walls and ceilings, a swirling purple aurora. The light faded and the troll chief opened his hands to reveal a smooth purple pebble, it was see through and filled with traces of starlight and wisps of silver. He passed the beautiful rock over to Anna, who took it reverently.

“Sleep with it under your pillow Highness, and your memories should return.”

“Can I ask you a question?” The old troll nodded, and Anna continued. “Is there any chance that I would have developed magic, like Elsa? If I hadn’t had the accident I mean.”

“When I removed your memories of Elsa’s magic, I had to take all of your memories of magic. It is why you do not remember visiting us, and yes, if you were going to develop powers of your own, the spell I used would have interfered.”

The troll shaman shook his head softly, and patted Anna’s knee reassuringly.

“I must warn you, there may be a small risk that the injury will return If you seek your memories, but a kiss from your true love can dispel the curse If such a thing were to occur.”

Anna laughed nervously.

“Ahaha, ahh I don’t uhh. I mean, I don’t have a true love, Grand Pabbie. I mean, It’d be swell if I did, but nope. Single Anna is single.”

The old troll shook his head mirthfully. Bulda had waddled over in the meantime and she spoke up enthusiastically.

“Aww, don’t feel the need to play coy with us, Anna! You must have had some true love, Kristoff told us all about it, you were turned completely to ice! And, well, it wasn’t our boy, so it must be someone right? Please tell me it wasn’t the reindeer.”

Anna guffawed uncontrollably, clutching her sides, the ghosts of her burns still painful.

“I know who it is.”

Anna stopped laughing rather quickly, at Amaranths quiet confident prediction. Her daughter smiled as she wandered over to Anna, climbing into her lap for a hug.

“You can just get moma to give you a kiss. That will do the trick.”

Anna hugged Amaranth tightly. Her head spinning faintly. Had she ever actually explained to Amaranth that she and Elsa were sisters? She wracked her brain. It might simply have never come up. Did she know and just not care, or see what the problem was? How was Anna going to explain this to the girl, and did she even want to?

More importantly right now, she had a half dozen excited trolls staring at her with a look of anticipation and awe, clearly all waiting for her to share her mystery love.

“Ah… haha… I mean, Elsa certainly loves me. Yup, but that's normal between sisters right?”

The trolls held a small celebration, somewhat to Anna’s panic. Bulda in particular seemed thrilled.

“Aww, well it's great that you two have finally got yourselves sorted. Were all super happy for you two, when's the wedding?”

Anna blushed.

“No, it’s not like that. Elsa and I are not getting married!”

“Livin’ in sin are you? That’s a shame, I think you would look cute in a wedding dress. What’s the hold up?” 

Anna gritted her teeth.

“It. I mean. Just. Were not like that. Not that kind of love, guys!”

There was a collective “Awww” of disappointment around the room, although Anna noticed that Grand Pabbie remained unmoved. Indeed he seemed to stay smiling, and tapped the side of his nose with a finger. Anna begged her apologies and fled the room, feeling distinctly flustered by the experience. 

\-----------

It seemed like such a strange thing to worry about, given the day that she had had, but it was still surprisingly near the forefront of Elsa’s mind. She had managed to forget the cake. Anna’s birthday, one of the most important days of the year in Elsa’s personal calendar, and she had managed to forget the cake. Of course the castle staff had not, and so there was a large three storey cake sat in one of the kitchens, gloriously intact and covered with pale green icing and little florets. Elsa had ummed and ahhed about how to approach this problem, and in the end had simply resolved to wait until Anna had a spare moment, blindfold her and drag her into the kitchens.

“Tadaa!”

Anna squealed with delight.

“Cake! Ohmygosh, Elsa, I completely forgot about my birthday cake!”

Elsa grinned shyly, gently wringing her hands together.

“Actually Anna, I may have forgotten as well.”

Anna shot her sister and easygoing grin before wrapping her in an enthusiastic hug.

“That’s ok, Elsa. It has been all kinds of crazy the last few days.”

“That certainly is one way to describe it. Shall we?”

Elsa picked up a large cake knife from the sideboard and proffered it to her sister. Anna took the knife with a flourish and chopped a rough slice out of the middle tier, and began enthusiastically shoveling slices of cake onto dessert plates. Anna handed her sister a chunk of cake that could best be described as a slab or possibly a monolith, before taking her own plate and loading it up with a similar bouder of cake. Anna hopped up onto the kitchen table with no apparent effort and began digging in. Elsa dragged a chair over and sat, wincing in pain slightly as one of her burns bothered her again. Silence and the sounds of frenzied chewing ensued for the next few moments as the two indulged themselves in heavenly birthday cake, the cream sponge and chocolate cream filling a delicious sin. Anna broke the silence first, her table manners still leaving something to be desired as she spoke through a mouthful of chocolate frosting.

“Pabbie and the trolls are going home this evening. I… He told me I had a magical accident when I was younger, that I had my memories taken away, altered.”

Elsa felt a stab of guilt, and the overwhelming sensation of a panic attack coming on. She dearly hated to be reminded of the accident and whilst her meditation lessons had been helping the way Anna so flippantly mentioned it caught her wildly off guard.

“He gave me this stone thingy to get them back and, Elsa are you ok?”

Anna put her plate aside and slid forwards, putting one hand on Elsa’s shoulder as she squatted in front of her sister. She warmly squeezed Elsa’s spare hand, trying to catch her gaze.

“Hey, Elsa. Look at me. I’m right here ok? Talk to me, you promised remember?”

Elsa took a shuddering breath, her vision crowding faintly and her heartbeat thudding in her ears, the cold chill of panic gripping her chest.

“I… I didn't know you. I mean. I am sorry, Anna. I nearly killed you with my magic, and then I kept it a secret from you for years.”

Anna’s warm arms encircled Elsa as she slipped into her lap, the overwhelming scent of summer and strawberries now laced with a hint of chocolate crowding out some of the blonde’s panic. Anna made soothing noises and placed feathery kisses along Elsa’s hairline.

“You’re doing great, Elsa.”

“I should have told you, after you were cured I mean, after… The Fjord. I didn't want you to be afraid of me, I didn’t want you to know the truth because I was afraid. I was selfish, I’m sorry, Anna.”

Anna took Elsa’s face in her hands and pulled back slightly, locking their eyes together.

“I forgive you, Elsa. I mean there is nothing to forgive anyway, but even if there was, I forgive you. I will always be here for you, and I could never be afraid of you, or your powers.”

Elsa felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes and she bit her lower lip, noting briefly that Anna’s eyes flicked downwards at the motion.

“How are you so confident Anna, How do you know that my powers will never hurt you, even after all this time? I _have_ hurt you, twice!”

Anna looked thoughtful for a moment, before softly drawing a line on Elsa’s arm with a finger. Tiny yellow flames danced and leapt along the trail left by Anna’s finger, a soft glow. Elsa stared in rapt amazement, the sight of Anna using magic still new, alien and exciting, the flames cold and harmless.

“Are you afraid of me, Elsa?” Anna was coy. Elsa snorted in derision at how absurd the notion was.

“Of course not! You would never hurt me.”

Anna grimaced faintly, and gently touched Elsa’s burnt arm, eliciting a wince of pain from her sister.

“But I did, see?”

“Oh. I… suppose, you feel the same as I do.”

Elsa felt a wave of understanding. The idea of Anna doing anything to hurt her intentionally was just beyond credulity and although Anna was clumsy and occasionally haphazard she just could not bring herself to worry. Whatever accident or disaster might occur Elsa knew that they could face it together.

“I trust you, Anna, completely and totally, even if it means I might get burned occasionally.”

They lapsed into a comfortable silence for a short while, the sounds of the kitchen fires in the giant ovens lending a homely edge to the atmosphere. A couple of members of the castle cooking staff wandered in briefly before noticing the two royals and rapidly made themselves scarce. Anna had a look of blissed out contentment on her face as she drew patterns on Elsa’s dress and skin in flames, her older sister wearing an expression of wry amusement. The copper haired fire mage broke the silence again, a heartbeat before Elsa could talk.

“I promise nothing is going to change when I get my memories back. I wasn’t afraid before, I won’t be now.”

Elsa nodded, too tired from the panic attack to force a smile, her voice was weary from distress.

“I spoke to our newest… guest.”

Anna stiffened slightly, but her expression was curious.

“Did… What happened? Did we… hurt her?”

Elsa shook her head and Anna looked relieved before Elsa continued.

“The Magician asked the questions, I don’t really understand his method truthfully, but he seems confident she will tell us who hired her soon.”

Anna looked happy and Elsa’s heart overflowed with love all over again.

“I’m glad.” Anna breathed out. “At both things, I’m glad we didn't have to hurt her and I’m glad she is willing to talk. I just want to be free again.”

“Me too” Elsa confided “She… wasn’t anything similar to what I had expected. Honestly she was just a scared young woman, she seemed… I don’t know. Just, sort of similar. To me.” Elsa added seeing Anna’s confusion.

“Similar? To you?” Anna’s puzzlement was plainly written on her voice and face.

“I kept thinking about how we both grew up with powers, neither of us had anyone to talk to about them. I grew up in the lap of luxury, in a castle with servants, warmth and unlimited food and she…” Elsa thought back to the poor womans emaciated appearance, clear evidence of years of hard living and malnutrition. “Most certainly did not.” She finished lamely.

“She killed people, Elsa. For money. Nobles, like us, hell she tried to kill me.”

“So did I” Elsa said grimly, taking a tiny amount of satisfaction in her sisters shocked expression. “Oh not for money, but I have killed people too. Some in self defence, some by accident, some were people I loved” Elsa traced a finger down Anna’s cheek making her shiver and blush.

“But you didn't do any of that on purpose, Elsa, there is a difference!” Anna’s voice was petulant but it was clear her heart wasn’t in it.

“I’m not sure she had much choice” Elsa countered. “The Magician seems to think she is being forced.”

Anna puffed out her cheeks, clearly faintly irritated.

“Fine. Maybe she was. But you aren’t a bad person, Elsa, I know you.” Anna smiled softly. “I know who you are, and you are a wonderful, warm, loving person who would only kill someone by accident in self defence.”

Elsa felt buoyed by Anna’s confidence in her, and she hugged her around her waist. Anna hummed a happy noise and rested her chin on Elsa’s head. The blonde’s voice was faintly muffled by Anna’s stomach and breasts but it carried well enough.

“I don’t want to ruin anything, but I think things are going to go our way at the diet. We have a few solid votes to suggest I am healthy enough to take over again, and they cannot force either of us to marry without a total majority.”

“Awesome! Who do we have? I managed to persuade around Lord Voight and Countess Hetty.” Anna’s eyes twinkled with mischief. Elsa suddenly felt hugely proud of her little sister snagging two of the “maybe” votes.

“What did you do?” She pressed faintly.

“Caught them snogging in one of the portrait rooms. Promised not to tell anyone if they stopped all this nonsense, also I might have promised them a large bag of hand selected presents for Yule.”

Elsa giggled faintly at Anna’s… eclectic method of blackmail. Only Anna could threaten someone and offer them presents at the same time. Elsa started counting on her fingers.

“We have Havriggar, Count Jomdol and Count Kolm and his coterie. That makes eight so far, more than enough to put a hole in the Duke's plans, your votes and mine as well makes eleven to his twelve.”

Anna squealed with delight and hugged her sister fiercely.

“Oh gosh Els, that’s great! I mean, well it’s not. I’d still like em all to be with us, but they can’t do anything with a simple majority right?”

Elsa was impressed clearly some of Anna’s lessons had stuck. Elsa found she was more comfortable than she could ever remember being buried in Anna’s embrace. Anna kept chattering away.

“Best of all, we still have a couple of days before the Diet proper and the vote. We can have a word with some of the others when they get here tomorrow, see if we can’t swing some more votes. Oh gosh Elsa, this is going to be great! I love you so much.”

Elsa was suddenly very glad that Anna couldn’t see her face right now as she buzzed with affection and other, slightly less seemly emotions. The rest of their impromptu lunch date passed uneventfully, the two sisters eating more cake and discussing Amaranths progress towards becoming literate and numerate. Elsa was saddened when the clock brought an end to their conversations, after all she had a ruthless assassin to interview.


	12. Heat Wave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have learned my lesson really about making predictions about pacing. Sorry for the delay you fine fruits! Hopefully this mildly bumper chapter will make up for it.
> 
> Please don't kill me :D

Elsa and Anna approached the cell together, Anna walking very slightly back from her sister, clinging on to Elsa’s arm for dear life. It was unusual for Anna to be afraid of anything and Elsa found herself shaken slightly be the experience. Elsa halted them both just before the door, she knew the Magician was inside already with Captain Aran, asking a few more simple questions. The Magician had explained that there was no real magic trick here, just an understanding of how people work. Show them that you are a person like them, that you are reliable in your promises and soon they wanted to help you back.

Elsa smiled at Anna, giving her a brief squeeze on the arm to get her attention and transmit her support.

“Anna? What’s wrong? If you don’t want to do this…”

Anna looked like a deer caught in a hunter’s sights for a moment before sighing and relaxing slightly.

“No, I do. It’s… hard to explain.”

Anna's expression was conflicted, hope crossed with frustration, and it showed in her voice.

“She tried to kill me Elsa. Just like Hans.” she spat the name. “But I hate Hans, and that’s easy. He is a bad guy, who tried to kill me. Now you’re telling me that this woman doesn’t seem all that bad? How am I meant to feel?”

Elsa was confused. It made sense for Anna to feel this way she supposed, but she still felt as if she was missing something.

“What’s wrong Anna? Is it really so hard to believe that someone might have been forced to do this against her will?”

Anna shook her head.

“No. That’s easy. Too easy actually. I… I don’t think I want to forgive her Elsa. She tried to take me away from you, to kill me. And I’m worried that if I meet her, I’ll find a way to forgive her, maybe even be friends with her and where will the justice be in that?”

Elsa turned the idea over in her head a few times. Her initial reaction had been disbelief and confusion. Anna, her sunshine and forgiver of all people, suggesting that she had reservations about handing out forgiveness? The more Elsa thought about it however, the more it made at least some sense, If Anna had been dropped into the situation as she had been yesterday it would have been easier, there would have been no time to think about it. Something about this was clearly weighing on her sister's mind. Anna continued as Elsa simply stared mutely, her mouth turning over the shapes of unspoken words.

“If I forgive a murdering assassin does that make me a bad person? I… No that isn’t quite right, not quite what I’m worried about. I just can’t explain it.”

Anna looked momentarily defeated and Elsa swept her into a warm hug caring not a whit for the guards nearby.

“Anna. You are a good and wonderful person. Being able to see the best in people is your greatest strength, never let anyone tell you otherwise. And your ability to make friends with anyone is one of the things I admire the most about you, you should never be ashamed of that.”

Anna beamed at her praise, burying her face in Elsa’s chest in a fashion that could have been described as immodest if they weren't sisters and Elsa felt herself fighting off the beginning of a blush. The hug was a few seconds longer than perhaps permissible and Elsa further muddied the issue by pulling Anna back in after she attempted to pull away, clearly embarrassed at having held on too long. The second hug was shorter, but still as pleasant, Anna melting into Elsa’s embrace once more, the need for physical validation clearly strong in both of them. After the second hug was complete they turned to face the prison cell together.

\-----------

The infamous Ghost looked healthier than the last time Elsa had seen her, although she still looked underfed and slightly ill around the edges, wrapped in a warm looking soft blanket. A servant was clearing away the remnants of a meal from the small table in the centre of the cell. The Magician sat casually across from Lachina, a plate with some bones evidence that he had taken his lunch here in the cells. Captain Aran however stood off to one side again, in his now customary position, eyes fixed on the young woman in front of him hand upon his sword. Elsa sighed quietly, clearly her captain of the guard had not yet abandoned his desire to beat the truth out of the young woman. Anna spoke over the quiet murmur of conversation.

“Hi. I’m Princess Anna, but I guess you already knew that huh? Elsa tells me you are secretly super nice, so I thought I’d come and have a chat.”

Anna walked forwards and ignoring the sputtering from Captain Aran and the commotion of the guards pulled the young woman into the briefest of hugs. The young woman looked stunned and faintly tearful around the edges as Anna plopped herself into a seat the picture of a lack of grace. Elsa smoothly stepped forwards and drew attention to herself with a polite greeting and a soft smile.

“Hello Lachina. I’m back, as I promised.”

The double assault clearly left the young woman looking unfocused and nonplussed. The Magician leaned in again with a wry chuckle, once again offering the young woman a choice of things she would like today, some nicer clothes or more comfortable bedding.

“I’m sorry, what?” Lachina blinked, clearly overwhelmed. The Magician pressed her again.

“Do you want some nice clothes, or softer bedding for the cot?” He repeated himself softly, earning another skeptical glance from the young woman before him.

“Well, you came through with the blankets and the bath, aye, so. Clothes I think.”

The magician nodded, standing unexpectedly and turning to leave. He fixed Aran with a stare and tipped his head towards the door. Aran refused for a moment, some unforseen battle of wills occurring between the two men. Elsa observed for a moment, before giving a light cough and nodding at the door, her message was clear.

_We are safe. Just go, I trust him._

Aran made his displeasure no secret, but he stalked out of the cell regardless, clearly uncomfortable at leaving his royal charges alone with a dangerous assassin. As soon as the door closed Lachina’s eyes began switching rapidly between the two sisters, her hands flexing uncontrollably.

“You still thinking about how to kill me? Why? What did I ever do to you?” Anna’s voice was plaintiff, her arms crossed and the faintest flicker of flames dancing in her eyes. The raven haired girl slumped.in her chair, letting her hands rest on the table, the picture of defeat.

“I don’t want to you know.” Her voice was weary and defeated. Elsa leaned forwards and gently touched a finger to the young woman's right hand, her voice soft and reassuring.

“Then why do it? You must have had a reason. Please, tell us, and we can help.”

“You can’t help me.” The young woman sounded wretched. Anna’s face was contorted, torn between dwindling dislike and an inescapable desire to help. Anna took a deep shaky breath.

“Trust Elsa. She can help you i’m sure of it. She is amazing, and she knows a load of useful people, I mean she is the Queen after all. Most powerful person in Arendelle and all that.”

Anna beamed them both a reassuring smile, her apparent internal debate over, and her natural sunny disposition reasserting itself. Lachina looked uncertain, still shaking her head slowly. Elsa was next to speak, reaching her other hand across the table to take Anna’s hand for support.

“How about we just talk instead for a while? About anything you want.”

The conversation was halting at first, the raven haired assassin staying tight lipped to begin with, but between Elsa’s skill at diplomacy and Anna’s infectious enthusiasm they soon turned things around. Lachina spoke of her life, her time as a young clanswoman, a brief mention of her capture by viking pirates and the resulting dark period of her life. The young woman's story was hard to hear, and Anna freely began crying at several points. Growing up a slave in the lands of Prussia was a hideous experience for a young girl and even after she had escaped her captors life had not become much better for her, even after her escape to the city of Copenhagen. She had developed magic around the age of 13, out of a sudden and desperate need to escape an awful situation involving some persistent thugs, her terror answered with a surge of magic.

Pickpocketing had seemed a logical career path for a young scared woman with magical powers, and had sustained her for a few months until she had tried to pick the wrong pocket. Her last target had turned out to be an Assassin by trade, and he had taken the young girl and her brother in and trained her in his deadly trade.

“You have a brother?” Anna asked, gasping, her expression one of triumph, a secret discovered. “You never mentioned a brother before, is he the one the duke has kidnapped, oh I swear to the gods I am going to bash his stupid smug face in.”

Anna had flung herself to her feet and was pacing from one side to the other, stilled only by an outburst from Elsa.

“Anna! Let Lachina tell her story, she will tell us when she is ready.”

The young assassin had her face in her hands and was sobbing quietly, her voice hitching, she seemed a panicked mess. Elsa made calming noises, whilst Anna sat and apologised quietly.

“I’m sorry Lach, I don’t know why you don’t want to talk about it but I’m going crazy here! I can’t stay cooped up in the castle forever, my people need me!”

Anna pouted briefly, Lachina rubbing her arms in distress.

“I can’t talk to you about it, he’ll die if I do. And I failed him, I failed Shaun.”

Elsa rubbed her temples briefly, contemplating her options.

“Why will he die if you tell us anything? Can you tell us that?”

“Magic” Lachina whispered, the misery evident on her face. Her expression changing to confusion at the widening smile on Elsa’s face, as the Ice Queen of Arendelle leaned forwards.

“Luckily for you, I know just the man.” And Elsa got up and opened the cell door, leaning out. The Magician was, it turned out, just around the corner, having some kind of conversation with Captain Aran. The two men looked up quickly, Aran’s face briefly running to panic, before relaxing at Elsa’s obviously pleased expression.

“Magician, I have a question for you. Can you magically compel someone's silence? Or maybe make it so that a loved one of theirs dies if they talk about something?”

The Magicians face twisted in thought briefly, a hand running across his stubble lined chin.

“Tricky. It can be done, yes, though I don’t know exactly how it would be arranged. Some kind of ritual curse or a magical Ban. To shift the repercussions though, that would be the hardest thing. Easier with the third person's permission of course.”

Captain Aran seemed curious, eager to discover any new information.

“Has she talked, Majesty? Do we have something to show for this ridiculous charade?”

Elsa shot him a warning look, before answering.

“We have… something. She believes if she tells us anything her brother will die, magically. I am inclined to believe her, given her story.”

The magician stood, making his way out of the tiny side room, followed by Captain Aran, a wordless tune escaping his lips, as they made their way into the cell. Anna was hugging Lachina again, causing the guard captain to nearly have a heart attack.

There was a soft swirl of green leaves and the scent of forest in summertime, as the magician brought his hands up to and across his face, his eyes glowing a bright leaf green in there passing. Everyone present went still and silent for a moment, as the Magician leaned in to examine the young lady before him. He hummed his ditty under his breath, the jaunty tune adding a surreal edge to the proceedings.

“Yes, I can see it now. This young lady is indeed cursed, well just about.”

Elsa and Anna shared a look before both speaking at once.

“Just about?” The sisters shared a brief giggle.

“Its unusual magic, Looks like somewhere between a spirit ban and a curse. Whoever crafted this is an absolute master, I have never seen it's like.”

The magician clucked with appreciation as he lifted a lock of Lachina’s hair watching it run between his fingers, clearly lost in thought. 

“Twisted genius that. Bravo, bravo.”

The young assassin shuddered, causing the Magician to retreat rapidly, bowing in apology.

“I am terribly sorry young lady. That was inappropriate, but the spell is fascinating. It was bound with you hair am I correct? A bracelet or similar?”

“I can’t” Lachina croaked, looking mildly ill.

“Can you defeat the spell? Undo it, or perhaps break it?” Elsa asked, pleased at her mentors confidence.

“Yes, I believe so. I will need to study up on the specifics. The trick is going to be breaking it without being obvious to the person who cast the spell, don’t want them knowing that we can talk to the young lady here.”

Captain Aran looked jubilant.

“And then this young woman can tell us who hired her, and I can finally nail the bastard!” He smacked a mailed gauntlet into his hand, before looking briefly apologetic. “Sorry, Majesty.”

Elsa was grinning broadly and embraced Anna, twirling her sister briefly before turning to the Magician and her guard captain.

“Please ensure that Lachina is cared for, and has everything she needs until we can free her from this curse. Anna and I have a kingdom to run in the meantime.”

It was going to be a long 36 hours yet, but hope was back on the cards.

\-----------

Anna had found herself sneaking off a few hours before dinner, wending her way to the south wing, stifling royal guard in tow. Anna shot him a withering look.

_Geez, clank more will ya? It's hard to be sneaky with you following me around like this._

They made it to the magical workshop without interruption and Anna peered around the corner. The workshop was covered in books, open on their lecterns, glowing runes emitting a faint rainbow of glowing colour. There was a flaming brazier set in brass, sitting proud on one of the kitchen tables, its ancient granite top covered in overlapping chalk circles, glowing eerily. The magician stood with his back to the door, muttering darkly under his breath, an ancient tome open at his right hand. The fire jumped in the brazier and an impossibly alien voice issued forth, the sound of crackling logs in the fireplace.

“And the daughter of love shall die at the hand of the devil, whilst her love weeps broken.”

The voice intoned, the magician all but shouted back at the flaming voice.

“Yes, yes. I know that! But WHEN you blasted thing. A day, a time, even a star I could use! If the prophecy is going to change midway through there must be a timeline.”

The flames collapsed as they spoke one last time, the sound dying low and almost beyond Anna’s ears.

“Desire shall die at the approach of the Lions roar, Karkinos in flight.”

“Blasted thing. More worthless astrology.” The magician was roughly throwing small patches of coloured dust into the brazier, before he perked up. Anna looked around furtively and spotted a familiar grey fluffy creature sat in the hall, bright eyes regarding her no longer hidden position. 

_Rumbled by a rat._ Anna thought ruefully before descending into the lab an embarrassed look on her face. The Magician had an easygoing grin on his face, although he was scribbling on several pieces of stiff card with charcoal.

“Queen Regent Anna, Your Highness. To what do I owe the pleasure of having your company this fine day?”

“You always have this happy expression you know? How do you manage it with everything that’s going on?”

The Magician chuckled.

“It comes with knowing an awful lot about what’s going on Highness, that and having the right attitude about it all.” He shrugged. “You can be upset by things beyond your control, or be happy about the things that are within reach.”

Anna took a stool, her annoying guard loitering nearby, sucking some of the fun from this illicit conversation. She cleared her throat, a glance backwards to check how quiet she needed to be.

“I need your help.” Anna wiggled her eyebrows conspiratorially. The magician grinned and wiggled his fingers in the direction of Anna’s guard who suddenly looked glassy eyed and unfocused.

“What do you need my apprentice?”

Anna’s excitement peaked, this was going better than she had dared to anticipate.

“I need to get out of here for an evening. This evening. Elsa and I are going crazy cooped up in here, and I want to take her up the hidden valley, to that place we talked about earlier?”

Anna felt herself flush slightly. The magician looked thoughtful for a moment, glancing at the tangled mess of string in the corner, his hand gripping the piece of card.

“I can help you. I think it safe, although the Captain of the Guard would disagree. He however, is not in possession of all of the facts. No, I think you safe for at least two weeks yet, perhaps a month before anyone tries again.”

Anna felt her heart sink at his words, before the Magician gave her a warm smile.

“Don’t worry yourself Anna. I have a plan, trust me, trust your sister. It will all work out, I promise. Focus on what is important right now.”

Anna nodded vigorously.

_Like making Elsa as happy as possible._

The plan as it happened was a remarkably simple one, assign the right pair of guards and slip away into the night during a distraction. The Magician agreed to hold down the fort and prevent anyone worrying about where they had gone for the evening.

\-----------

“Elsaaa!”

Anna’s voice floated through the air, sending a brief shiver of pleasure down Elsa’s spine, her sister sounded deliriously happy about… something. Elsa made her apologies to the minor noble who had arrived earlier, promising to see him at the Diet the next day. The portly lord bowed his way out, pledging his support and loyalty, just as Anna came sliding around the corner, arms flailing and dress ruffled. Elsa thought she caught a huge grin hiding under her retreating vassals bushy mustache as her sister flung her arms around her. 

“How are your burns? Please tell me they aren’t too bad?”

Elsa stifled a giggle.

“No, Anna. They are barely bothering me in truth, now what’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”

Anna’s eyes lit up with mischief and she leaned in, whispering in Elsa’s ear.

“You owe me a date silly. Just us, no guards.”

Elsa blushed at the thought of spending time alone with Anna, but her heart felt a stab of fear.

“Anna, we can’t. We need the guards to protect us, to protect you.” Elsa looked faintly crushed, but she tried to hold her resolve in the face of her sisters cheeky smile.

“Relax Els, I sorted it with the Magician. No-one will be after us, besides.” Anna reached into a pouch hidden just under her bodice and retrieved a small gold leaf ticket. Elsa’s eyes widened, and she knew Anna had defeated her once again.

“I have a wish to use.” Anna’s smile was devilish as she grabbed Elsa by the wrist and dragged her up one of the corridors gold ticket fluttering in Elsa’s spare hand. The platinum blonde gave herself over to whimsy, giggling as she went, charmed and disarmed by her fiery sister. The irrepressible young woman led Elsa to the East gate and into a loaded open carriage, a pair of resigned and familiar looking royal guardsmen trotting after them, eyeing the reindeer equipped transport suspiciously.

A rustling in the trees preceded a susurrus of quiet magic, stray leaves and catkins whipped up by an aetherial wind drifting down from the high hills. A glittering sparkling gust of air washed over the east gate, and the two guards were rendered insensible with a nasty case of the giggles. Clutching each other for support, the two hapless guards slid to the ground, heaving with laughter. A faint ethereal feminine laughter could be heard on the wind. The royal carriage was long gone by the time the guards staggered to their feet blinking and scratching their heads.

The royal carriage was an open topped Arendellian sleigh with wheels instead of ski’s to better allow it to move around in high summer at a decent speed. Pulled by two heavyset reindeer, it was capable of a very appreciable turn of speed, a fact that Anna seemed to be making good use of as she rode the box. The fiery young woman was laughing, loud and unrestrained, mixed in with whoops of joy at their speed and the feeling of momentary freedom. Just for a second Elsa allowed herself to imagine that there was no-one else in the world, just the two of them, together in this moment. It was a blissful lie, but Elsa settled back into the comfortable blankets none the less, and let her eyes roam across Anna’s form. Anna had truly grown into a beautiful young woman, her lithe body hiding a surprising wiry strength and, despite her love of chocolate and pastries, she maintained a slim, well exercised, figure.

The rattling motion of the wheels on the flags of the main road rapidly gave way to a more juddery experience as they shot through the eastern fringes of Arendelle town, the mixed cobbles providing excellent grip. As the sleigh turned northwards up into the valleys Anna settled herself into a sitting position, flashing a wide grin back to Elsa, her face flush with excitement. 

“You okay back there Elsa?”

Anna’s face was wild, free and utterly gorgeous, her elated expression adding a divine radiance to her already perfect features. Elsa found herself losing all rational thought and she settled simply for grinning madly back at Anna. Anna laughed again, the sound music to her sister's ears and she eased the rumbling carriage onto the gravel roads heading up the sides of the mountain towards the valleys. The journey took most of an hour even at a reasonable pace, and unlike their last excursion Anna sat on the box for the majority of the journey, carefully navigating the reindeer higher up the foothills. The late afternoon was rapidly giving way to the evening, the first stars beginning to make their presence known from beyond the faint purple blanket of the sky and the moon's phase budding towards full. 

The sleigh paused briefly at the apex of the hill, the view down into the valley before them laid clear. The warm summer forest buzzed, hooted and shrieked in the early evening, the day birds moving to roost, their internecine squabbles over mate and branch carrying far in the fresh twilight. Anna turned the sleigh away from the hidden valley, instead urging the reindeer higher up the thinly forested ridgeline. The ridged hills of the fjords gave way to sharp highlands, dotted with hidden streams and secluded clearings. It was more peaceful up here than in the lower forests, more the domain of raptors and high mountain rabbits than the noisier forests of the lower valleys, and Elsa found herself settling comfortably into a light snooze. At this point in summer there were no dangerous animals to be found this close to the castle, the bandit issue had never come this close to Arendelle proper, and so they had little to fear up here in the high hills.

Elsa jerked awake from her semi conscious state ravenous and well rested. She stretched languidly in the comfortable nest, yawning and rolling her hips and shoulders, unaware of the pair of curious green eyes roving hungrily over her body. Her icy blue eyes opened, meeting her sisters flashing jade orbs and her broad comfortable grin. Elsa suddenly felt faintly exposed, a slight shiver of pleasure accompanying the notion, as she tried to regain her regal bearing.

The clearing was a mess of bubbling pools of water, fed by a small clear stream, the splashing sounds of a high mountain waterfall nearby. Crickets and grasshoppers buzzed and chirped in the warm night air, and the heavy scent of summer flowers and berries mingled with a faint scent of something less pleasant and eggy. Tiny green lights hung in the trees and bushes, as bats squeaked and flew overhead. From her slightly prone position Elsa could see a large pine marten eyeing the new arrivals quizzically from its arboreal perch just above a large circular wooden log cabin topped with a carved reindeer. The sky was a carpet of stars, the horizon bending with the occasional twist of the aurora.

Anna was busying herself retrieving supplies from the carriage, including what appeared to be a large coal scuttle which she clumsily waddled over towards the logwood cabin. Elsa elegantly untangled herself from her comfortable position, briefly scouting the unusual clearing. Much of the ground near the centre of the clearing consisted of large pools of water in naked rock, several at different heights to one another, forming a slow moving weir of sorts, thick with bubbles and steam. Several obviously carved blue stone benches had been constructed near the rocky shield, as well as a fire circle with more comfortable looking wooden logs on a grass patch nearby. Elsa felt watched over, in a comfortable sense, as though there was something deeply important about this place, some buried spirit or power protecting the area.

The whole effect was ridiculously romantic she had to admit, although it was a shame about the faint edge of brimstone and reindeer emissions lingering on the edge of her nose. Still, you can’t have literally everything in life, and it appeared as though Anna had packed a chilled white wine and set of expensive imported cheese, and right now Elsa could happily destroy both.

“Anna, who owns this place?”

Elsa questioned as they laid out a picnic spread by the fire pit, Anna pulling a pair of fluted wine glasses from a wicker basket. Her sister blushed very slightly, before proffering her a glass and settling down onto a cushion on the blanket, deft hands pulling cold pastries and miniature pies out of the basket before her.

“Some Shaman guy apparently, talks to reindeer, I think he might be related to kristoff, although technically you do. It’s part of the royal forest, according to Kai we have some kind of arrangement.”

Elsa nodded. Her technical area of property was incredibly extensive, including swathes of land even in the territory of her furthest vassals, as well as hundreds of buildings, Being landlord to half of Arendelle was certainly a cause of at least a good chunk of her paperwork in any given month. Still, in spite of her apparent technical ownership, she had no recollection of a lodge in the woods, and Elsa was curious.

“How did you find this place?”

Anna refused to meet her eyes, tucking a stray strand of hair behind an ear, whilst working on laying out the sandwiches.

“Oh, y’know. I asked the Magician for a good place to take someone. He told me about this place, apparently the hot springs have healing properties or something, and there is meant to be a guardian spirit! It sounded super romantic…”

Anna trailed off, blushing even harder.

“You heard about a romantic hot springs and the first person you wanted to take there on a romantic date was your sister?”

Elsa needled gently, her voice faintly teasing. She was brought up short by Anna’s defiant look and slightly raised voice.

“No. I heard about this place and the first person I wanted to share it with was with the most important person in my life.”

Elsa blinked, as Anna poured her a cold glass of white wine.

“And then I went and stupidly burned down the north tower, and I realised I absolutely had to share it with her as soon as possible, because… because you never know what might happen, or if…”

Anna gave her a joyful, slightly watery grin, clearly fighting back an edge of emotional tears.

“Besides Els, you love this stuff! Romance, stars, fireflies, cute animals.”

Elsa melted, as they toasted, the icy cold liquid beating a strangely dry but refreshing path down her throat, as she reached for a sandwich. Elsa tried her best to marshal her thoughts. 

“I do. And it’s all the better for the company, Anna.”

The two grinned at each other in the fading twilight, their actual expressions clouded by the incoming dark. Anna threw some firewood haphazardly into the fire pit, earning a slight giggle from her older sister, before a small swirl of magic resulted in a happily burning bonfire. Elsa’s stomach was a mess of butterflies and nervousness, although her head felt strangely calm and peaceful. She should have been worried about doing something untoward, something unsisterly and letting slip how she really felt, but she trusted Anna in a way that was hard to put into words. Her younger sister's face was a picture of concentration as she sat, staring into a half eaten pork pie, glass of wine in her other hand.

“Hey Elsa.” Anna seemed half lost in thought, before brightening suddenly. “Let’s try the pools out! Apparently we just have to avoid the smallest one, with all the rocks around it.”

Anna polished off the pie in a single bite before swishing it down with half a glass of wine, in a most undignified fashion. Elsa’s eyes nearly goggled out of their sockets when her sister began to strip off in front of her, a matching set of bright red lace underwear the only thing between Anna and complete nudity. If Anna felt embarrassed at Elsa’s blatant staring she did not let on, as she turned and sashayed towards the pools of water, her hips waving seductively. Elsa found herself draining her glass, all coherent thought blown from her mind as she averted her gaze for a moment.

A pregnant moment passed. Then another. Elsa was all but frozen in place as she watched Anna’s shadowy form slip into one of the bubbling pools of water. A sensuous moan, escaped Anna’s throat as the apparently delightful warm bubbling water caressed her legs, her thighs, her breasts and more intimate places. Anna looked over towards her sister, turning softly in the water, flickering shadows from the fire dancing across her face. Even from the moderate distance Elsa could see the quizzical, almost teasing look on Anna’s face.

“Hey Elsa. Could you bring me a glass of wine? Maybe some of that fabulous company?”

Elsa gulped, her heart thundering in her ears, her legs were wobbly jelly. When Anna had mentioned a date where clothes were not required she had no clue what to expect, but this was somewhat beyond her expectations. Forcing herself to stand in a mildly unstable fashion Elsa forced herself towards the hot pool containing the object of her desires.

_Is this really happening? This can’t be happening. Anna is just being… Anna. Sisters can bathe together. Nothing to see here._

Her resolve faltered mildly as she reached the edge of the hot pool, dismissing her icy shoes and stepping into the lukewarm film of water on the stones. The bottle of wine in her left hand and a pair of wine flutes in her right. The glassware nearly slipped from her hands when her eyes alighted on a tiny pile of red fabric. A bra, crumpled on top of a pair of panties.

Anna’s giggle sounded like honey mixed with magic as it drifted across the surface of the water.

Her sister had moved to the other side of the rock pool, deeper into the shadows. Elsa could see Anna was staring off into the forest, clearly giving her some space to climb into the water. It probably should have been harder to dismiss her dress she reflected. It certainly should have been harder for her to resist putting the wine and glass down and slip out of her bra, flinging the stray piece of underwear next to her sister's tiny pile. It was only as she was standing there on one leg, her panties almost completely removed that she paused to truly ponder the scandalous insanity of what she was doing. The night breeze was warm on her skin, the hot water deeply inviting despite her remaining injuries. 

Anna’s head turned briefly in the dark before snapping back towards the treeline. Elsa felt a surge of bravado and flung her panties on top of her bra, before lowering herself into the fizzing water. There was a brief, stabbing moment of agony as her burns lit up with heat, her bandages wet, before the hot mineral water became soothing.

“Elsa?!”

Anna swam over, concern etched on her face at her sister's sudden exhalation of pain, her freckled nude body glistening invitingly in the warm water. Anna reached a hand up and cupped Elsa’s face.

“Are you ok? Is it too hot?”

“No, it just stung a bit.”

Elsa chuckled faintly and covered Anna’s hand with her own, before catching herself in embarrassment at how close they were. She could see a truly tantalising amount of her sister, her eyes forcibly dragging themselves across her taut delicate light carmine nipples, tracing the lines of her curves. Elsa span in the water and clutched the bottle of wine, pouring a pair of glasses and trying to clear her mind of the scandalous images rampaging through it.

The moan of complete ecstasy which escaped her lips was entirely involuntary as she felt the merest hint of her sister's breasts ghosting across her back, as a pair of hands began massaging her trapezoid. If Elsa’s legs were jelly before, they were mere whipped cream now, as she almost slumped against the hot stone, nearly fumbling the wine bottle. Anna deftly massaged Elsa's shoulders, her warm touch melting away all of her tension and worry.

“O-oh gods… ohhhh…Mmmnnn”

Anna’s hands hitched for a moment before completing their work and withdrawing.

_Oh. That may have been a bit too indecent of a noise._

The Platinum blonde felt her face taking on more of a colour associated with Anna’s hair than anything else, before she shyly turned and pressed a cold wine glass into one of Anna’s hands. Once again, Elsa’s brain short circuited as she realised that Anna was most definitely staring at her chest, eyes gigantic saucers, as she clearly was struggling not to let her vision stray any further, towards the golden wisps of hair tantalisingly lower, almost visible beneath the surface.

“You are so gorgeous Elsa.”

_Oh. OH._

Anna took her glass, clinked it casually against Elsa’s and drifted backwards across the hot pool, putting some distance between them. Elsa felt her mind reeling and settled on the first non perverted, non incestuous thought she could grasp.

“Your burns. You don’t have any bandages anymore?”

“Yeah, they healed up really fast. The physician was shocked, said I was practically healing in front of his eyes. I think it’s my magic, or this gem thingy.”

“Oh. I’m glad.”

Elsa supposed it made sense, she was almost immune to the cold herself after all, it made sense that Anna would be highly resistant or immune to fire. Healing her burns was perhaps unusual, but she was no magical expert. She stared upwards at the stars, the soothing motion of the hot pool eliminating all of her troubles.

**Brrrrrt-blb-blb-pft**

A rank, faintly plant like sulphuric smell accompanied a brief increase in the volume of bubbles in the hot pool, as a large quantity of gas forced its way out from the cracks in the rocks. Anna started giggling first, although Elsa was unable to stifle her mirth for long in the face of the brief passing smell.

“Why Queen Elsa, how very unladylike!” Anna teased, her voice a mock falsetto of every snooty baroness or duchess ever. The tension thoroughly broken the girls howled with laughter, Anna smacking the water of the pond with one hand. After a while the laughter died down and the girls rested in silence again for a while, until Anna asked a question that would rattle Elsa’s composure again.

“How did you feel after you told me you liked… you know, that you were… a lesbian?”

Elsa contemplated the question for a moment, sipping at her wine. She decided on complete honesty.

“I was scared at first. I worried what you might think of me, what it might do to us. But then I felt free.” Elsa paused for a while. “I suppose I always knew deep down that you wouldn’t hate me or shut me out, but it was still scary.”

“I like being free.” Anna whispered. “Elsa… I… I like girls too. And boys, it's… confusing.”

Elsa’s earlier suspicions were confirmed and her head swam again. Was it possible that Anna had really been looking at her body in _that_ way? She had made no secret of where she was looking certainly, and Elsa felt her core heat up slightly at the prospect. She mentally shook herself for a moment, Anna needed her.

“That’s ok too, Anna. Whoever you are, I love you just the same.”

Anna nodded and moved around the pool a little closer. Elsa smiled at her and continued.

“There is a word for that too, and I don’t believe it is anything to be ashamed of.”

Anna nodded.

“It’s called being bisexual apparently, I just… I guess I never really thought about it, you know?”

Elsa hummed to show that she was listening, whilst turning her thoughts over in her head. The alcohol might have made her somewhat more bold than usual.

“I think that’s what the book called it yes.”

Elsa sneaked a glance at Anna out of the corner of her eye. Turnabout was fair play it appeared as Anna went beet red, sinking slowly under the water.

“B-book? What book? Ahahaha, I don’t know about any books on this subject, not that I went looking or anything.”

“And here I was thinking our palace rose garden was looking rather excellently maintained this time of year.”

If Elsa had any doubt about the previous provenance of that book, she was left in no doubt now as Anna looked as though she had swallowed a live chicken. Anna’s attempts to unflap herself were simply comical, and Elsa couldn’t help but giggle, earning her a dirty glance from her sister. Of course this was too much of a good thing to last, as a look of clarity suddenly crossed Anna’s face. The elder sister suddenly felt a tremor of concern.

“Elsa. How would you know anything about rose gardening hmm? Have you been… ahem, researching the topic?”

_Ah. Right. Yes._

Elsa’s diplomatic walls went right up and she coolly regarded the younger woman. 

“Are you implying that there is something wrong with a monarch learning how to garden, dear sister?”

Anna fell silent, a small smile across her face. Silence reigned for a few minutes in the warm summer night. Shivering faintly in the air, Anna began clambering out of the hot pool, her skin glistening in the firelight. Elsa felt her eyes transfixed by Anna’s most intimate location, a fiery wisp of hair providing a poor camouflage to her sex, even in the low light. Elsa could have sworn she saw a triumphant flicker on Anna’s face when she met her sister's gaze after she realised she had been staring, before Anna strolled slowly over towards the royal carriage. Anna came back wearing a towel, with a spare body towel for Elsa. Leaving it on a dry rock within arms reach, the young troublemaker headed over towards the Log Cabin, grabbing the coal scuttle on her way past, humming gently a look of contented glee on her face.

_There was no way I imagined that. What. Just… What._

A series of clangs and bangs from inside the circular cabin heralded a rolling ball of sooty smoke escaping the cabin.

“Anna?” Elsa asked with a concerned tone.

“It’s fine! Everything is fine!” Anna’s reply was lighthearted, without a trace of worry or panic and Elsa allowed herself to relax in the water. Clearly the distressingly sexy redhead had everything under control. The log cabin made a series of faintly alarming creaks and groans, and Elsa saw a light heat haze roll out of the door.

 _Is… I mean. There is no way she exposed herself like that to me by accident. She just… stood there and let me look._ Elsa mulled, her arousal at the prospect battling with her guilt and common sense. _And she has been looking too._ Her brain helpfully supplied. The Queen of Arendelle groaned, and rolled over to look at the stars, glass of wine emptying without her conscious input. _You infected her. Unclean, filthy, pervert._ Elsa stifled back a sob at the intensity of the vitriol in her thoughts, her mood pinwheeling uncontrollably for a moment.

The log cabin door banging closed jerked her out of her uncomfortable thoughts, and Elsa turned to watch her sister, hips swaying in the firelight. Anna had a look of bliss plastered on her face, her sheer joy chasing away the dark shadows in Elsa’s thoughts for a time. Anna strode over to the picnic area and fetched a pair of ornate drinking horns and a jug of mead, as well as a small parcel containing two pastries. Their eyes met across the clearing and Elsa felt her heart pounding a war beat in her ears. She was uncomfortably aroused, filled with lingering shame, but also still hugely happy. Anna gave her an encouraging smile and waved a horn in her sister's direction questioningly.

Elsa took a deep breath and as slowly as she dared pulled herself out of the water, rivulets cascading from her hair and breasts, the dancing fire accentuating her curves and adding mystery. Even at this distance Elsa could not mistake the wide eyed awe on Anna’s face, as well as a familiar hungry look that Elsa could have sworn she had seen somewhere before.

_In your dreams remember?_

Every inch of Elsa was blushing and she struggled against the guilt in the back of her mind, the alcohol dulling any inhibitions she might have had. She stretched languidly in the warm night, rolling a leg out in each direction, before alternating and shifting her weight. Anna’s eyes never once left Elsa’s hips. Elsa bent and fetched her towel, shooting a glance back at her younger sister, who snapped her eyes away, face burning in the dark.

Elsa padded over to the picnic area.

“Your ears are burning Anna” Elsa commented wryly.

“Sorry. Just not used to… this. Its nice, not having to feel constricted for a change.” Anna babbled, as her sister reached a finger over and tried to tuck a stray wet bang behind an ear.

“No, I mean literally.” Elsa said with a chuckle, pulling her finger back from the heat. Anna’s eyes shot wide at the comment and she grabbed at her own ears extinguishing the magical flames. She mumbled a faint apology, granting Elsa a wide and faintly embarrassed grin. Elsa chilled the mead with a swirl of ice, and poured them a horn-full each, giving Anna a reassuring smile.

“It’s ok, control comes with practice apparently, although I only really learned that myself recently.”

They clinked horns and each took a sip, a silent toast. The ice cold sweet mead was the strong bodied wine, rather than the light cider of a short mead, and its cloying sweetness mixed well with the buttery chocolate pasties. The combination, combined with the pleasant surroundings was a quiet form of heaven, and Anna let slip a sexy moan of pleasure, shooting a shiver down Elsa’s spine. The poor pastry never stood a chance in the face of Anna's onslaught. Licking the last of the chocolate from her fingers and lips, Anna stood, proffering her platinum blonde sister a hand, helping her to her feet. Moving over to the door to the hut, Anna pointed to a stretch of grass right next to the door, and shot Elsa a grin.

“Can you make us a big pile of snow?”

“Oh no… no no no. That’s a sauna isn’t it?” Elsa said with a smile as the pieces clicked into place, her gorgeous sister nodding enthusiastically. Sighing, she swirled a hand, creating a huge pile of soft fluffy snow, with a small flurry above it. Anna clapped her hands together and dragged Elsa inside the log cabin, a veritable wall of heat rolling out, a small stone brazier glowing darkly inside. As the door closed behind them, Elsa felt her breath hitch in her throat as the cute redhead slipped out of her towel and hung it on the peg on the door. Anna laid out on one of the benches, the interior of the sauna almost pitch dark, lit only by the glowing coals. Nervously, Elsa shucked her towel and sat carefully on the other wooden bench, hissing quietly as the heat lanced across her partially healed burns.

Anna sat up, the faint red light outlining her breasts and thighs with a divine radiance, as she looked towards her sister.

“Elsa? Are your burns bothering you? I’m sorry if this was an awful idea.”

Anna stood, and shuffled over to sit next to Elsa, leaning in to give her a reassuring smile.

“No, Anna it’s fine. This is lovely, they just sting a bit is all.”

Anna leaned close and ran a finger across the top of one of Elsa’s bandages on her ribs, eliciting a delightful shiver.

“Can I try something to help? With magic?”

Elsa nodded, uncertain what Anna would try. A faint sequence of orangey brown motes of magic danced from Anna’s fingers seeping into the pale woman's bandages. Elsa’s eyes widened with surprise as she felt the stinging heat leave her injuries, replaced with a very mild itching which rapidly faded.

“Wow.” Elsa blinked. “That feels lovely, thank you, Anna. It doesn’t hurt at all anymore!”

Her words edged with amazement, Elsa undid one of her bandages, peeling back the cloth to examine her injuries. She winced slightly at the obvious giant brown scabs and replaced the bandage quickly, before giving Anna a grateful hug. Elsa reflected that she had forgotten they were naked for a moment there, as her nipples sang with pleasure as they brushed across Anna’s breasts and both women blushed fiercely. Sitting back in the dark, a small gap between them, the sisters sipped their mead in silence, the warm heat of the dark cabin a reassuring force. Elsa summoned a tiny pile of snow onto the coals, creating a hissing cloud of steam, enveloping them both in a pleasant dampness. Anna refilled their drinking horns after a few minutes, glancing across at Elsa’s face periodically, clearly checking she wasn’t overheating.

“Hey Elsa.” Anna asked as the light from the coals died slightly, and the hut fell darker.

“Hmm?”

“Can I tell you a secret?”

“Of course.”

Elsa could hear Anna’s heartbeat from here, the twinkling red light from her necklace apparently extinguished for this evening, and yet unnecessary for her to tell her sister's heart was racing. 

“Promise you won’t be mad? No matter what?”

Elsa couldn’t help a faint snort, leaning sideways and nudging Anna with her shoulder in a friendly fashion.

“What did you set fire to this time?”

Anna let a quiet barked laugh out before shuffling a few inches away. Elsa felt her heart grow cold for a moment, fear at Anna’s need for space.

“Nothing! It’s... I didn't break anything. Yet. I’m just so tired of not being free you know?”

“You already came out to me silly.” Elsa smiled attempting some humour to make this all easier. Whilst she was indefinitely more skilled at courtly diplomacy than her rambunctious sibling, she lacked Anna’s natural ability to make everything simple and easy to talk about. 

“Har har. Just… Promise you won’t be mad at me?”

“I promise Anna. I will never be mad at you. Well… Not for long. But I promise to do my best with… whatever this is.”

“And you swear not to shut me out?”

“I swear. Anna what is it? What’s wrong?”

“I love you.” The words came out a ghost of a whisper.

“I love yo-”

“No. I Love Love you. Like. All the love.” Anna fixed her with the most intense stare of Elsa’s life, her eyes literally blazing, and the fire in her breast exploding into rainbow effervescence.

“I love you like a lover, Elsa.”

Elsa’s world exploded.


	13. Afternoon Shade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which our author is a terrible person, Anna is a wuss, and some good and bad things happen. Also, like four days ahead of schedule, so WAHEY!
> 
> Enjoy you fabulous fruits.

“And I want to kiss you. It’s tearing me apart. I can barely...”

Anna blinked tears away from her confession and leapt to her feet, sprinting for the door, the blazing light from her amulet throwing chaotic shadows across the interior of the hut in time her hummingbird heartbeat.

“Anyway! Cold time!”

Hauling the door open she flung herself into the snowbank Elsa made earlier with a joyful whoop, rolling through the white powder before sprinting for the rocky water pools. The door to the sauna swung slowly shut, enclosing Elsa in darkness with her thoughts.

_**!** Oh Gods. OH GODS. What now, What do I DO? Breathe, just breathe._

Elsa was shaking like a leaf at the sudden force of her sister’s confession, desperately marshalling her thoughts.

 _I can’t tell her. She can’t know. We can’t. We mustn’t._ Elsa pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, hugging herself for support.

_I promised not to shut her out. I promised not to be mad. I promised. Anna needs me._

Elsa looked at the door. A long moment passed. With a swirl of nighttime air the lodge was empty and Elsa was rubbing herself down with snow furiously, before sprinting for the pools.

“That one Els!” Anna shouted, obvious mirth in her voice as she relaxed in the shadows, the strobing red glow around her neck beginning to slow and bank in intensity.

Elsa jumped into one of the pools nearest the stream, marked out by a single large bluestone menhir. The water was icy cold and would have given anyone else a significant shock to the system. Elsa came up for air, floundering in the salty water for a moment, gasping, before crawling out and joining her sister in one of the hot bubbling pools. She had seldom ever felt so alive, her heart beating strong in her chest, her skin clean and clear and her mind clarified by the heat and cold.

“We… We should do this again” Elsa managed, still faintly gasping. Anna giggled, her own breathing slightly laboured as well.

“Absolutely! So… You don’t hate me? Think I’m disgusting, for… Y’know?”

Elsa fixed Anna with a loving gaze, pleased with her sisters blush in response.

“No Anna. I still love you. I _might_ tease you about it a bit though.” Elsa replied cheekily, a coy smile on her face. Anna covered her eyes with her hands.

“You don’t mind that I… look at you sometimes? Like _that_.”

Elsa giggled again.

“It makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world to know you think that.” Elsa replied honestly. Settling into the pool, her gaze turned to the treeline as she heard something moving about in the bushes. Both women went silent in the night, the only sounds the faint hiss of the fire and a shuffling in the bushes. A Badger snuffed out of the bushes, headed for the stream for a drink, a wary eye on the two humans. Anna gave the creature a tiny wave and beamed a tight lipped smile in its direction.

The badger was a calm distraction for a few minutes, the peace of the night broken faintly by the fireflies taking flight in a gust of wind. The scene was almost more than Elsa could handle, the knowledge that Anna was _Right There_ and that she felt the same way giving her giddy wings, as well as dark washes of guilt. They couldn’t, Elsa knew that. There would be death, or revolution if they were ever found out, and she knew if she told Anna the truth there would be no way she could resist her sister’s inevitable advances. She resolved to lie.

“So you don’t mind that I’m in love with you then, Elsa?”

Anna’s voice was heartbreakingly small and timid, but there was an undercurrent of strength to the words. Elsa felt fear shoot through her. It would be so, so easy to ruin everything, she had to be utterly cautious.

“It’s not right, Anna, we are sisters. But no, despite that, no I don’t mind. I still love you and I am not angry.”

Elsa smiled at Anna, her apparent terror evaporating into giggles.

“Gosh, Elsa. I feel completely free right now. Even though I have to go back to the castle after this, even though… everything. I just don’t care!”

Anna seemed completely thrilled, she shot Elsa a sideways glance.

“Any chance you feel the same way?”

Elsa closed her eyes, and steadied herself.

“No.”

The words were incredibly hard to force out, but she did so anyway. For the good of Arendelle, for Anna’s benefit, and for their parents sakes. She did not see Anna’s thorough scrutinizing gaze.

“But you don’t mind? It doesn’t disgust you to hear me say “I love you. I am In love with you.”?”

Elsa shook her head, a slight smile playing across her face.

“You could never disgust me, Anna.”

They lapsed into a comfortable silence again. Anna suddenly realising something important.

“I left the mead in the sauna! Be right back!”

“Anna! Don’t you think we have had enough…”

The words died on Elsa’s lips as Anna seductively and slowly dragged herself out of the water, her back to her sister. She was completely on display, and Elsa could not help but stare. Anna turned coquettishly, showing Elsa her water covered breasts and fixed her with a sultry look. Elsa knew that she had been caught staring at Anna’s sex, and blushed deeply. Her sister was not being subtle.

“Would you like me to bring you your towel, my love.” The last words were said delicately, but deliberately.

“Anna!” Elsa snapped, but softly without any force or anger, causing Anna to giggle. The copper haired goddess before her simply stood almost painfully slowly, running her hands across her breasts, stomach and legs, making a show of drying herself, before turning and walking slowly to the sauna.

A reindeer barped in the near distance, the forest creatures filling the night air with buzzes and clicks thoroughly in night mode now, as Elsa shamelessly watched Anna’s retreating form. It was clear that Anna was not going to make this easy for Elsa. Not even a little bit.

Elsa managed to keep her eyes to herself for Anna’s stately return journey and re-entry into the water, although it took a phenomenal effort of will. Despite her earlier complaints she gratefully accepted another hornful of mead and the two settled back into the water. Anna’s face took on a cheeky grin, and Elsa gulped, taking a large draught of her mead.

“Hey, Elsaaaa” Anna drawled playfully, turning to rest her arms on the side of the pool. “Massage?”

“I’m not sure that’s… appropriate, Anna.” 

Anna pouted, wiggling her butt at Elsa, and swishing her legs in the bubbling water.

“Elsa, no fair! You owe me a massage, besides it’s totally ok for sisters to do this sort of thing.”

Elsa folded like damp laundry and she drained her drink. Massaging Anna’s back was beautiful exquisite torture, to say nothing of the downright lewd noises her sister made at every slide of her hands across her muscles. Elsa simply couldn’t help herself and found her thighs squeezing themselves together in a desperate need to release her tension. This was unbearable.

“Ohhh goooood yesss. Oh right there. Oh you are so good with your hand Elsaa. Mmmnnn, Ah ah hah,”

Oh those noises. This was just too much. Elsa finished the massage quickly, before demurely smiling at Anna and getting out of the water. She grabbed her towel, zapped a set of flat ice shoes onto her feet and fled into the forest mumbling an excuse about needing to relieve herself.

As soon as she was what she judged a safe distance away, and all but hiding in a bush, surrounded by nothing but miles and miles of nature, Elsa quickly plunged a hand right to where she needed it most, her actions were frantic and silent, her mind a collage of guilt and need, a rolling montage of lewd images and indecent sounds. She had the fastest orgasm of her life, and found herself clutching the tree for support shaking in the night air. Once she had calmed herself, she quickly performed the action she had stated as her reason for heading out this way, and made her way back to the water.

She found it hard to meet Anna’s eyes, but her sister made no comment, her mood apparently jubilant. They shared another small hornful of mead before Anna once again dragged Elsa into the sauna for another round of heating and freezing. Elsa found herself getting worked up all over again at the close proximity of Anna’s naked body, as well as her now apparently bold faced flirtiness, and Anna deciding to chase her from the sauna with a rolled up towel applied directly to her royal behind certainly wasn’t helping matters.

The rest of the date however was a more subdued affair, although still pleasant, as they had to douse the sauna and pack up for home. Elsa wished she could stay here forever, but perhaps, for the sakes of her self control, it would be best if they did not. Anna really did look stunning nude, and apparently, she knew it.

\-----------

Elsa was once again furious, but she retained her regal composure, Anna was having a much harder time restraining herself apparently. The pompous, over the top display of carriages and staff swirling in the castle courtyard was pointless and unnecessary, a meaningless display of grandeur and wealth. The large Ducal crest plastered across every carriage and flag gave a strong indication as to the reason for the royal sisters displeasure. Captain Aran was standing just in front of his Queen, his hand conspicuously on his sword, and a double strength royal guard detachment in the barbican. Apparently he was as keen to intimidate the duke, as the duke was to try and intimidate Elsa. They had been standing here for nearly fifteen minutes as the ducal procession had arrived for the Diet, the great meeting bringing out all of the pomp and circumstance of the occasion, and the duke was certainly enjoying exercising his power. 

Finally, the Ducal Carriage arrived at the gates and rolled to a halt, a full two dozen trumpeters blaring his arrival, a calculated insult Elsa was certain, as she only ever used as many as fourteen at most. A squad of men at arms lined the way up to the barbican, their gleaming mail and tunics clearly new and expensive. Elsa clucked disapprovingly, her people were still on the verge of famine, and here was this… buffoon, wasting his marks on shiny uniforms and pointless pomp and filigree. 

The Duke himself stepped down from his carriage, a small core of elite looking bodyguards filing out behind him. Elsa stared blankly for a moment at the spectacle of their burnished gothic plate flashing in the sun, its golden embossing a mute testament to how much it must have cost, likely imported from the lands across the southern sea. Captain Arans Parade Brigandine looked positively pedestrian by comparison, and Elsa noted more than a few approving glances from her royal guards at the quality of the armour on display. The duke refrained from approaching his Queen immediately, another snub, preferring to grandstand in front of the assembled crowd of peasants, waving a hand in the air regally as though he were the king of Arendelle, and basking in the cheers and adoration he was receiving. Elsa growled quietly and took a step forward.

“Eyjolf! What a pleasure.” Elsa smiled darkly, knowing that her acknowledgement had forced him to end his grandstanding earlier than he would have liked. Scowling the greying warrior approached his liege.

“Queen Elsa.” Duke Eyjolf Almdlir took a knee for the barest minimum amount of time necessary before straightening. “I hope I have your vote tomorrow. You have put up a spirited defence, but you have to know that this whole ridiculous affair is best over with.” He sneered, apparently uncaring that Captain Aran was close enough to be virtually touching his shoulder.

Elsa still felt a trill of fear run through her, in spite of Anna’s fortifying presence behind her. Elsa strongly suspected that she could sweep the duke away in a heartbeat with her ice magic along with every last guard and retainer, regardless of how fancy their armour was. Of course that was the problem at the same time, to do so would likely plunge her country into civil war, to say nothing of her inability to face Anna afterwards. And so she found herself playing this maddening game.

“Eyjolf, your input is appreciated, and shall be dealt with in the spirit it was sent. I am confident in my decisions as Monarch of Arendelle and her people.”

Eyjolfs face hardened instantly, appraising Elsa again, looking for weakness or fear. The Ice Queen stood her ground, proud and ramrod straight, with Anna standing at a relaxed posture behind her examining her nails with an expression of confident boredom. Anna looked up as the dukes gaze crossed her face.

“Oh, are you still here Duke?” Anna yawned lazily, condescension dripping from every syllable. “Shouldn’t you run along now? Go on, the adults are talking.”

Elsa corpsed up, her legendary poker face struggling to contain herself. She knew it wasn’t wise to taunt the duke, but this was deeply amusing. Duke Eyjolf stormed off, brushing past the royals roughly, grinding his teeth and clearly furious. Elsa turned to watch him go, her expression turning pensive at his retreating back.

 _I suppose I always knew this would end with one of us dead or banished._ She thought bitterly. _But for Anna’s sakes I had better ensure it is that blaggard who loses._ Anna flashed her a broad and lazy grin, moving to take her arm.

“Don’t worry Els. We’ll show him.” Anna leaned in close to Elsa’s ear and whispered in a voice so silent the elder sister thought she might have imagined it. “My love.”

Elsa shot her a mildly disapproving look, which Anna promptly ignored, dragging Elsa off towards the dining room and it’s promise of chocolate.

\-----------

Elsa’s afternoon meal later that day was rather rudely interrupted by a hurried servant scurrying over to speak with her. Her presence was urgently requested in the castle dungeons of all places. At the news Elsa felt a knot of panic form in her stomach, this did not sound like good news. Excusing herself from the bustling table, crowded with dozens upon dozens of Arendelle's nobility, the Queen hurried from the room as regally as possible.

With the Grand Diet just around the corner the castle was operating almost at capacity, with every single one of the 34 or so noble families in and around Arendelle in attendance, including satellite members and nobles who usually lived in far flung courts or countries. Even for a small, relatively poor country like Arendelle the web of politics was broad and complex, with dozens of squabbles and alliances to track. It was no surprise that larger countries like Francia preferred a more centralised ruling system, but Arendelle cleaved to tradition in a number of respects otherwise forgotten in the broader world. Elsa’s progress to the dungeons would have been mildly impeded by the sheer volume of people in the castle, however this close to dinner time the halls were largely deserted, if noisy.

There was a thick cluster of guards loitering near the entrance to the castle dungeons, their expressions grim although they lightened in mood as Elsa swept towards them, the blue shimmer of her now signature ice gown a dazzling display in the torch light. Motioning the guards to make way she swept down into the dungeons, finding no lack of soldiers down here either. Elsa found the source of the commotion in one of the guard rooms where a pair of her royal guard were being tended by the castle physician, and her royal astrologer was busy being sick in a corner, a bucket clutched to his stomach and a pale haggard expression. Her physician was grousing.

“And drink plenty of water young man! I have no idea how you managed to survive that much hemlock, but If I cannot purge you with quicksilver then at least keep drinking until you stop purging yourself.”

“Mercury is deadly poisonous you great idiot, the only thing you can treat with it is spanish disease, and even then… Euuuurrgh.” 

The magician heaved again, turning to the corner of the cell to discretely empty his stomach. Elsa tried to assess the situation.

“What happened gentlemen?”

Heavy footfalls from behind her heralded the approach of Lord Dunlain and Captain Aran. The Royal physician filled the Queen in on what he knew.

“This dim bulb” He gestured to the pale shaking creature in the corner, his face lined and drawn, bucket clutched as though it was a life raft. “Felt the need to be the personal food taster for our guest in the cells, apparently valuing a prisoner's life over his own.”

“The one day I forget to check the desert for poison before I eat it doctor. The only time!” The magician was attempting levity, but it appeared simply talking was enough to exhaust his reserves of strength. The royal physician fixed him with a stern look before reprimanding him, the wizened old man injecting surprising fury into his voice.

“You, are a veritable repository of walking lore, idiot. Not to mention one of the only magic users or real healers in Arendelle. Your life is far more important than that of a criminal.”

The Magician stuck out his tongue at the old man, whilst Elsa massaged her temples again. This was quickly becoming a nervous habit she decided.

“Stop you two. What actually happened?”

The two warriors had entered behind Queen Elsa at this point, both bowing briefly before Captain Aran spoke up.

“Two of our men were bagged from behind, knocked unconscious and hog tied in a store room. Someone then stole their tunic and delivered the prisoners meal, liberally poisoned with hemlock it would appear. Luckily your man here.” Aran nodded at the magician, once again retching in the corner. “Started with dessert first, just in time to notice the hemlock. Luckily he’s a tough little bastard, and was carrying a magical antidote.”

“S’not magical… Eeeuuurrgh. Z jus’ an emetic this one. Din’ need the magic one. Gruuuugh.”

“Idiot.” Captain Aran was smiling however.

“Captain.” Elsa’s voice was exasperated. “Is the prisoner ok?”

“She’s absolutely fine, Majesty. A little shaken at the assassination attempt, but holding up just fine.”

“Any word on the perpetrators?”

Captain Aran and Lord Dunlain looked grim.

“None sadly, Majesty” Lord Dunlain rumbled out. “Looks to have been professional. No-one remembers anything particular about them. Both lads, blonde, mail, guard height, our uniforms. Nothing we can use sadly, they are almost certainly long gone by now, and with this many people coming and going.” The giant of a man shrugged, and Elsa’s shoulders slumped a little.

“But no permanent damage was done?” Elsa looked for the silver lining. Her physician finished the bandages to the unfortunate guardsmen, before speaking up.

“No, these lads are just going to have a nasty headache for a day or so. Perhaps some dizziness, as for your idiot magician… Damned if I know, he should be dead already.”

“L’b’fine. Juz need sleep.” The Magician gave one last heave into his bucket. “Make sure ‘m on m’ face.” And slumped forwards unconscious.

Elsa lowered her face into the palm of one of her hands. This, was not a good start to the day. She had hoped to have the magician available for the Diet tomorrow, an additional element of magical support in case everything went to hell, but at this rate she would be lucky if he was conscious. She sighed heavily, all in all it could have been worse. A lot worse.

\-----------

The rest of the day passed in an uncomfortable blur of short meetings with nobles whom Elsa had not seen in years in many cases, as well as some more familiar faces. Every conversation went loosely the same way. Yes she had been mildly unwell, yes she was perfectly recovered, no she had no intention of marrying the duke of Almdlir, yes the ball was still going to go ahead, could she count on their support? Excellent.

It was utterly exhausting for Elsa, whose normal maximum socialising budget was normally somewhere in the region of four meet and greets in a day. She would periodically catch a glimpse of her sister in between rushing from one group of nobles to the next, and she seemed almost as exhausted as Elsa.

By the time evening proper had rolled around Elsa was so exhausted that she simply staggered upstairs to the royal suites, intent on having dinner brought up and falling face first into her bed immediately afterwards. She was mildly surprised to discover Anna sitting on her bed, a dazed expression on her face as she stared listlessly at a book.

“Hello Anna.” Elsa gave her a warm smile, as Anna looked up from her book, her demeanor visibly perking up.

“Hey you! I… Man, am I tired. I was hoping we could eat together? Just us?” Anna looked so tired and sad that Elsa’s heart broke slightly.

“Of course! I’ll get something brought up right away. Amaranth is being looked after by Helga for the next few days so it’s just us anyway.” Elsa affirmed, briefly leaning out and politely collaring a servant. She wandered back into her room and scooped a hair brush off her dresser on the way past and casually waved it in Anna’s direction.

“Oh gods yes.” Anna rapidly began unbraiding her hair, green eyes locked on the promise of a soft rhythmic hair brushing. Elsa settled onto the bed as Anna planted, face first into her lap in an undignified manner, eliciting a contented noise from her older sister who began brushing copper locks in a stately fashion.

“Elsa?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I sleep here tonight? I don’t want to be alone right now.”

Elsa hummed contentedly, brush parting trails in Anna’s thick copper red hair.

“Of course my little firebug.”

Anna made a faintly disgusted noise into Elsa’s lap at the overly cutesy nickname, earning her a faint giggle from her older sister. Dinner interrupted their quiet moment, but from the growling rumble emanating from Anna’s stomach, it had arrived not a moment too soon.

Sundown found the two sisters sitting cross legged on Elsa’s bed, several trays of food scattered about. Delicate minted rabbit haunch, artfully arranged on toast with spears of buttered sparrow grass soaked in lemongrass. The royal meal to go had been excellently received, both Anna and Elsa sharing stories of their day, relaxed and simply enjoying each others company. 

“This is nice” Anna commented after a short lull in the conversation, sharing a content expression with her sister.

“It is.” Elsa yawned briefly, stretching her arms in the air behind her head. Anna began clearing away the trays from the bed, pulling the bell pull by the bedside table to summon a servant. Anna shuffled around behind her older sister, popping her hair out of its braid, and slowly untangling it as she ran her hands through the long platinum locks, before hooking her thumbs over the back of Elsa’s scalp and gently pressing into her skin. The erotic moan she was rewarded with was worth all of the waiting.

“Ahhh Anna…”

With a smile the mischievous young woman redoubled her efforts, her dexterous fingers sliding across Elsa’s scalp, gently caressing and rubbing away her tension. Waves of palest gold cascaded forwards as Elsa felt herself giving in to the pleasurable experience, her head lolling gently in her sisters skilled hands.

By the time Elsa came round the trays had been cleared, the sun was fully set and she became aware she had dozed off briefly in Anna’s lap.

“Hey sleepy. Time for bed huh?” Gorgeous green eyes, kissable freckles, tempting lips. Elsa wished she could wake up like this every day, and she found herself almost crying.

“Hey, hey what’s wrong? Shh, it’s ok. I got ya Elsa.”

Anna’s attempts to make everything better somehow only made it all worse, and sobs soon broke the silence. Elsa buried her face in Anna’s stomach, breathing in the wonderful scent of the woman she loved the most in all of the world and just could not have.

“Elsa what’s wrong? Did… did I do something? Is it… is it because of what I said?”

Anna sounded faintly panicked and elsa choked out a response, settling for wrapping her arms around the young woman and squeezing her closer.

“No! No it’s… me. Please. Stay.”

Anna seemed satisfied by the half lie, and simply snuggled into the pillows, stroking Elsa’s hair until she fell asleep again, a look of concern on her face.

“Sleep now snowflake, I’ll watch over you.”

\-----------

Elsa recognised the ballroom, the ice on the floor and the snow gently dusting down from the ceiling marking the occasion she knew well and still occasionally had nightmares about. She saw herself from an alien perspective, the view of everything obscured with a strange purple haze, the edges of her vision simply blackness. The memory played out in its near entirety whilst Elsa watched helplessly, a prisoner of Anna’s perspective as the bolt of ice magic flew straight towards her face. Her semi conscious awareness of their parents bursting into the ballroom fully dressed, the uncomfortable horse ride followed by blackness.

Her perspective changed again, and a different memory played out, ice skating in the ballroom again, a different night this time one where they had played until they almost fell asleep. A third memory, building a snowman next to the grand tables. A fourth memory, a snowball fight in their room. Memory after memory sleeted past as Elsa watched, and she felt the love and affection attached to every single one. 

Blackness

Time passed in a faint blue haze.

Now Elsa found herself floating in a void, her sister somewhere nearby. She could sense Anna’s distress, her fear, and she reached out, feeling herself move inexorably towards her. Elsa found herself standing in the shadows of a log cabin, the world ill defined and shadowy, the trees and pools more suggestions than shapes. She could hear voices coming from inside the cabin, Anna and… someone else. Elsa willed herself through the wall, confronting the scene.

Anna was sobbing, repeating her declaration of love over and over again to a dream version of Elsa who was standing there, with a look of utter disgust etched on her face.

“You’re sick Anna, you disgust me. You hear me, you make me sick!” The blue eyed, impossibly gorgeous woman looked furious.

“Elsa, I’m so sorry, I love you! I love you so much.”

“Disgusting creature! Get away from me! I never want to see you again Anna!”

**Slap!**

Every inch of her visage radiating raw fury Elsa flung herself forwards and belted her false doppleganger across the face. There was a moment of confusion before Elsa’s doppelganger dissolved into mist in the dark of the cabin, the flickering flames throwing erratic sharp shadows in every direction.

“Never say that to my sister ever again, bitch!”

Elsa spat into the darkness, Anna’s sobbing halting in a series of faltering hiccups, as she felt strong slender arms wrap around her.

“Shh, It’s ok Anna. I would never say that to you. Never.”

“I- I love you so- so much.” Anna sobbed into Elsa’s arms.

“I love you too my little firebug.” Elsa waited for a moment, her lower lip captured between her teeth, huge grin on her face, as Anna came up to pout at her. Anna’s mouth got halfway through a word before Elsa sealed it with a passionate kiss, their tongues joining together in an incredible electric dance. Anna’s hands instantly roved across Elsa’s form, delicate fingers caressing her curvy rear end and taut stomach. They broke for air as Anna let out a moan of pleasure.

“Ohhh, gods Elsa, that is so much better.”

Elsa grinned in the darkness.

“Isn’t it? Never be ashamed of your love for me Anna.” Elsa whispered in Anna’s ear, her hot breath tickling her sister’s skin. “After all, I am in love with you too.”

They came together again, Elsa laying Anna out on the wooden bench, its surface suspiciously fluffy for a wooden bench, but neither paid it any mind. The elder sister let her hands play across Anna’s supple form, her nudity inviting and sultry in the night heat. Elsa teased Anna.

“Want me to prove to you how much I love you hmm?”

“Yes! Oh Fuck Yes!” Anna was wantonly panting, her thighs wriggling together, as Elsa played circles around her nipples, one hand trailing dangerously close to her core, but stopping short at her pubic hair.

“You sure?” Elsa’s voice was seductive and playful.

“Elsaaaaa” Anna whined, her voice a pitiful sound echoing her absolute need to be touched.

“Promise me.”

“Anything”

“Promise me, never doubt how much I love you again.” Elsa whispered, her confidence and sex appeal on full display. “Never worry, never let _her_ in again.”

“I love you Elsa, I swear it! I promise… just, please!”

“I love you too Anna, in every way.”

Elsa’s hand teasingly quested it’s way south towards Anna’s heat and wetness, eliciting a pleased growl from the younger sibling. Elsa skirted Anna’s clit briefly, running the broad edge of a finger across Anna’s wet lips, savouring her shuddering reactions, before dragging her index finger slowly up and across her hot sex. The contact with Anna’s nub resulted in a very erotic gasp before Elsa silenced her sister's mouth with her own. Elsa slid her hand down between Anna’s legs and gently probingly inserted a finger into her soft wet folds, the sensation of the strong muscles strobing against the older girls finger.

“Hah, haha… ahh, Elsa” Anna moaned through the kiss. “Le- Let me touch you?”

Elsa obligingly positioned herself over her sister's hand, her fingers continuing to work over Anna’s sex, exploring her intimate space. Elsa jolted briefly at the rather sudden contact from Anna’s questing fingers, the sensation of someone else running their hands across her sex far more pleasurable than anything she had managed to achieve on her own. Their fervent moans of pleasure mixed together as they both stroked and pleasured each other, their tongues dancing an inelegant medley of lust, love and need.

**Bang Bang Bang**

“Good morning your majesty!”

Elsa sat up in bed, drenched in sweat and sex, acutely aware that she had one hand firmly between her legs, her underwear in disarray, the cover sheet tumbling down around her but still covering _just_ enough. Anna shot upright next to her, clutching the sheets to herself, hair a wild exploded mess and her eyes startled.

“GO AWAY!”

“SOD OFF!”

Both royals shouted in unison, as the small group of, now slightly panicked maids backed out of the room muttering. Elsa and Anna both stared at each other for a moment, breathing heavily and flushed, each as mortified as the other. Anna broke the silence first.

“Hi. Um. Bathroom!”

Elsa was too dazed to really react as Anna fled to the adjacent washroom and bolted the door. As Elsa laid back and brought herself urgently to climax she couldn’t help but imagine what, exactly, was happening on the other side of that door, because she suspected it was very similar to what she was doing right now.

Anna’s name was silently on Elsa’s lips as she came over the edge.

\-----------

After a rather… tense morning getting ready, during which Elsa could have sworn she got some _very_ strange looks from some of the more junior maids, and Anna failed to meet her gaze at any point, the pair of young royals found themselves at the head of the Throne Room once again. They were watching a huge collection of nobles file into the throne room in a semi ordered fashion, Kai and the other footmen bustling about like worker bees showing everyone to their seats and trying in vain to keep order amongst the pampered and obnoxious.

As a show of force Elsa was sat in the most prominent throne, Anna just off to her left in her mother's old throne again. Elsa was prominently wearing an icy dress, a clear sign of her power but that was far from the most notable thing in the room. That particular honour would go to marshmallow, the colossal golem sat, squeezed into a corner of the room just off to Elsa’s right. He was blocking at least two of the normal entrances to the room used by her royal guard or staff, but Elsa had judged the intimidation value to be worth it.

Marshmallow was a terrifying sight, moreso to anyone who knew of the incarnate spirits lifelong mission to protect and obey the Queen, a mission that had once led the gentle giant to harm even Anna. Now however, Elsa had been certain to amend his mission with certain imperatives, and marshmallow was fully prepared to sacrifice even her life to keep Anna or Amaranth safe. Of course, since marshmallow loosely had a similar intellect to a hamster she was not certain how effective he could be against anything except brute force, but her sister was no longer in danger of being casually stepped on at least. Almost all eyes in the room were nervously glued to the gentle giant, who was busy playing with a flower crown made for him by the crown princess earlier that morning.

Once the nobles were seated, the council began to file in, several members suddenly looking mildly nervous about Elsa’s apparent complete confidence. The Duke of Almdlir, Baroness of Hoytslott and Count DeDerenelle however were looking somewhere between confident and murderous. Elsa stood, taking care to faintly lower the temperature in the room very precisely to follow her sweeping gaze, maintaining absolute control over her powers. She made eye contact briefly with the Magician standing at the back of the room next to Captain Aran, he looked literally green around the eyes but seemed strong enough to stand. She cleared her throat, dragging the assembled attention away from the hulking pile of loveable snow in the corner.

“Lords and Ladies, Welcome to the Grand Diet of Arendelle. You have all traveled far, and not all of you are my direct vassals.”

Elsa swept a slightly more warm gaze across the back rows at that comment, where the noble friends, family or members of other courts were situated, before continuing.

“I bid you all to enjoy the hospitality of the people of Arendelle whilst you are here. I shall not waste any more time however.”

Elsa’s voice grew louder, and more commanding as she shifted her gaze towards the front two thirds of the room, injecting her voice with a commanding cadence.

“There was a time in our history, not so long ago, when the monarch of Arendelle would demand the allegiance of his vassals at the point of a sword, once every ten years. Our Grand Diet is a result of this tradition, and I would like to think that we have become rather more civilized over the last few generations.”

Several sets of eyes flickered back and forth between Marshmallow and Elsa, the giant snow giant trying to get the flower crown to stay put on its gigantic cranium.

“My father, may the Gods keep him, saw no need for this tradition, and neither do we.” Elsa gestured at her sister briefly, who gave the assembled room an enchanting smile and a tiny regal wave.

“But in the light of recent events, certain parties need to be _Reminded_ of how things work around here, and where the power in Arendelle is held. Fidem Mentiri, my Lords and Ladies.”

Marshmallows eyes and body pulsed with a faint blue glow briefly in time to the word power, and a faint murmur of whispered conversation rolled around the room at the pronouncement. Elsa felt the faintest of breezes from behind her, and an almost imperceptible waft of heat coming from the direction of the second throne. Sparing a glance behind her, Elsa could see Anna looking at her with a complicated expression, poker faced but clearly awestruck and, perhaps, just a little bit turned on. Elsa smiled and continued. 

“And so, “A Priori, A Fortiori Fidem”, my fellow nobles. By order of the crown and Force Majeure, if you please.”

Elsa gave them a moment to let her words sink in, before pointing at the least senior member of her council.

“Swear to me. Before every one of my ancestors, and all assembled, upon your honour and life. Swear your fealty.”

The silence in the room was deafening. The hapless baron looked about for support for a moment, his greying locks and drooping mustache waxed to a mirror finish on his aged lined face, before he hauled his slightly rotund form up from the bench. He composed himself for a moment and walked towards his queen, taking knee at her feet before, slightly stumblingly reciting his oath of allegiance to the crown of Arendelle and his personal oath of allegiance to Elsa herself. 

The audience were shocked, although quiet. Forcing a vassal to swear fealty publicly was seldom ever actually required, after all every lord and lady made the oath upon assuming any power or new title, and every person present had done this at least once in their lives, albeit often long ago. To demand a lord to do so again was a chastisement of the highest order, not to mention wildly embarrassing, but it appeared as though the Queen of Arendelle simply did not give a damn. 

After the man’s slightly stumbling oath, Elsa fetched the royal blade from it’s customary cushion in the hands of a footman next to the throne and placed it briefly upon the mans shoulder.

“I accept, and hold you to your Oath Lord Berrin.”

The baron nodded and stumbled back to his seat, his knees clearly a little the worse for wear from the marble flags. Elsa pointed to the next man along, Baron Havriggar who somewhat more happily struggled to his feet and loudly made his oath of fealty.

Again and Again Queen Elsa Arendelle forced her lords and ladies of the chambers up and made them re-swear fealty, as was her ancient right, until after several hours, every single vassal present had made the oath, bar one. Duke Eyjolf Almdlir.

There was a tense moment, as it looked as though the Duke might refuse the humiliation, but Elsa had mostly done the oath taking in nearly perfect reverse order of importance so far and the Duke was the only member of the landed gentry to have not re-sworn his oath of allegiance.

“Before every one of my ancestors, and all assembled, upon your honour and life, swear your fealty, Duke Eyjolf Almdlir.”

Elsa’s face was a perfect imperious mask, her voice solid and commanding. Every eye in the room was on the duke, for whilst Elsa suspected that few knew all of the details, the nobility were incorrigible gossips. Word of the feud between the Crown and the Duke had likely been table talk for every club, society and manor house in the realm for weeks now. After a calculated amount of feigning ignorance at the request, and fuming all the way, the Duke rose from his seat snarling.

There was a moment of intaken breath as he stood before Elsa and then he took a partial knee.

“Under threat of force, Your Majesty.” he spat the words. “I am, of course, ever loyal to Arendelle.”

The dukes oath of fealty was rushed, but clear, although no-one in the room could miss his hesitation before swearing his personal loyalty to Queen Elsa.

“I accept, and hold you to your Oath Duke Almdlir. Both of them.”

Elsa nodded grimly, before taking a step back from the edge of the stairs and raising her gaze. A shout from the back of the hall drew attention.

“Her Majesty Queen Elsa Arendelle! Undisputed Monarch by blood and Oath! Long Live The Queen!”

The Magician had found his voice long enough to encourage Captain Aran to speak it seemed, as the little man was clearly grinning like a food next to the, now quite uncomfortable looking, knight. The room erupted into a chorus.

“Long live the Queen!”

“Long Live Queen Elsa!”

“Glory to Arendelle!”

Elsa looked briefly at her sister for support, only to see Anna beaming at her as though she were the only thing of value in the universe. It was a good feeling.


	14. In which our Author runs out of inspiration for the titles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A day late! Sorry about that, Real life and stuff.
> 
> In this chapter, delicious angst! And Fluff! And Fluffy Angst!

There was, Elsa was pleased to note, a faintly angry murmur around the room at the dukes somewhat less than loyal response, although it was far too quiet, and from far too few people for her liking. Still, it was enough. The next few hours passed cordially enough with the dull traditional work of allowing all of the major noble families to approach the throne and speak to the queen as well as present their business for the Diet. In truth this section was all but rehearsed, with the families having presented their suggestions and demands weeks in advance via letter, the act of speaking it aloud simply a formality at this point. After the last family member had spoken their piece Elsa called a halt to the proceedings to allow everyone to eat, her stunt with forcing everyone to swear fealty had put the whole affair behind schedule by almost two hours now.

Lunch was noisy, formal and utterly dull, with the queen and crown princess residing over the top table in the ballroom, having converted the largest space in the castle to a dining room specially for the occasion. Several nobles seemed mildly put out that their places at the table had been taken by a mere knight and some stranger they did not recognise but Elsa needed her Captain of the Guard and her Magician close at hand.

Captain Aran had, unsurprisingly scrubbed up rather well, his noble upbringing having easily prepared him for this occasion, but it was the Magician who commanded the most attention. He was wearing a phenomenally expensive looking dark blue brocade suit of brigandine, clearly worthy of a king, however it was, fashion wise about 200 years out of date. His long hair had been brushed and oiled to a mirror shine, and his beard had been trimmed by a master into a style Elsa was utterly unfamiliar with, although she had been assured was from the iberian peninsula. He had worn an honest to goodness bearded axe at his belt, and an ornate drinking horn, the whole ensemble screaming a deranged medley of old school norse lord and travelling bon vivant. Several of the local lords who had not made his acquaintance yet had actually found time during the meal to come over and have a chat, their sheer curiosity apparently overcoming the usual good manners.

The afternoon section of the Diet was, somehow, both incredibly tense and incredibly dull. The Queen and her sister had to sit in their thrones for several hours, staring daggers at the Duke of Almdlir, whilst somehow paying attention to a speech cum presentation by a parade of minor nobles. In many respects Elsa felt awful for not being able to give them her full attention, for many of them this Diet represented their only real chance at having their political or family ambitions realised, and they only came around once a decade. However she simply could not focus properly right now, knowing as she did that ever single minute brought her closer to a public vote that might well seal her fate forever.

Elsa already knew exactly what her future would entail if she were to be forced to marry the Duke of Almdlir, and the thought was almost beyond comprehension. She only hoped that, should such a nightmare scenario occur, she could be strong enough to endure it, to try and dull the Duke’s obvious evil and avaricious edge for the sake of her people. She had considered… other options, but in her heart of hearts she simply could not hurt Anna or her people so, even running away had been ruled out. To leave her people to such a noisome wretch would simply end poorly and she knew it, to say nothing of her need to live in fear and hiding for the rest of her life. No, if she was going to live in fear and agony for the rest of her natural existence it would be here in Arendelle, her home. 

Elsa tried to force herself to focus on what the noble before her was saying, he was a minor Adelsmann, owner of some property but no true titles as far as she knew. If he was the patriarch of his family then they were petty nobility indeed, which only made her lapse in concentration all the more unforgivable.

“Your majesty, I think my case has been made clear, our pensions have been tragically, woefully behind the rate of purchasing power, even with the recent and very temporary slump in the Mark due to the cut in trade with the southern isles, and so it falls to you, what say you?”

Dear gods did this man ever need to stop to breathe? His shiny black gambeson was covered in polished rivets, making it likely a jack of plates of some kind, a family heirloom or other Elsa presumed, and just as out of fashion as her Magician.

“Lord Greensnake” Elsa began, noting his expression falling already. “You have made a most compelling case, and, were we not in the middle of a famine I would simply grant your request.”

The poor man looked utterly dejected, his slightly gap toothed manservant beside him grinning widely, clearly unaware of what was actually transpiring. Elsa thought better of the man for having given employment to someone clearly so lacking in faculty.

“However, with things being what they are, any such discussion is going to have to wait.” She motioned him approach closer, which he jubilantly did, granting her an enthusiastic and over the top bow. Elsa lowered her voice somewhat, her soft tones only carrying as far as the first row or so.

“Perhaps good sir, we could speak later in the week, put together a plan of action as it were? I do not simply want to dismiss your petition out of hand.”

The man looked as though Christmas, his birthday, and several other national holidays had all happened at once.

“I’m sorry. Hwhat? I mean yes. Yes of course, your most frostily experienced royal majesty. I shall await your audience with breath so baited it could catch a lobster.”

The utterly strange man turned on his heel, and made his way back to the seats near the back of the room, an excited look of triumph on his face. 

“Come along strap, we have taken up too much of her Majesties time already.”

Moment of absurd levity aside, Elsa hoped that her diplomatic handling of the situation would benefit her later, with luck the bizarre gentleman would have at least a few allies or friends who he could exhort to her side. The next few noble requests were similarly dull affairs, a laxening of the crown's authority here, a slight tightening of sumptuary laws there, of which Arendelle had precious few, but nothing of any note. Yet.

Elsa dismissed all of the challenges to the crown's authority as well as the thoroughly absurd notions of trying to add imported velvet to the list of sumptuary items, before allowing the room a few minutes of refreshment. The servants bustled around with platters containing aperitif wine and tiny pastry snacks to rejuvenate the flagging nobles, not known for their sturdy constitution. Elsa could not help but notice the magician securing an entire tray of pastry treats for himself and cramming half a dozen in his face at once, as well as securing some about his person in a napkin. His manners left a great deal to be desired, but right now the Queen had other concerns.

After the short break, it was time. The first votes began, the true meat and drink of the first day of the diet. Elsa stood, somewhat nervously, and cleared her throat. Projecting her voice to the farthest reaches of the hall she did everything in her power to banish any trace of fear or uncertainty.

“My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen I bring us now to the main business of our Grand Diet. If the Baroness of Hoytslott could bring forward her petition to the crown.”

The Baroness looked inscrutable as always but faltered slightly on her journey to the top of the throne room as Elsa continued.

“As I for one would like to vote this absurd notion down swiftly, and get on to matters of real import amongst our most serious and sober nobility.”

That, earned Elsa the worst death glare she had ever received in her life. The toad like baroness was wedged into a dress several sizes too small for her, and tied in with corseting. The effect was rather disconcertingly akin to a game bird broken and tied with string ready for roasting, and she waddled forwards. Clearing her voice she warbled slightly as she got started, clearly having had at least a few drinks already. 

“In the matter of the crown's desire for emergency action to repair the roads…”

The baroness began, and Elsa mentally cursed.

_Cunning bint put two things on the petition, now I look impossibly heartless._

“Ahem. Baroness, I do believe that there was an order to proceedings? I am certain that you did not wish to make a fool of yourself after all.”

Elsa’s admonishment was loud enough to carry and there were several sets of hissed intakes of breath.

“Ah. Well, yes, Your Majesty. I was attempting to anticipate your wishes, my apologies.”

Her black beetle eyes regarded elsa with cold fury, as she made a show of fishing out the council program to check which motion was next, as though there was any chance she could have forgotten or that it might have changed. 

“Ah, yes.” The baroness haltingly mentioned. “In the motion to commend and celebrate a matrimony between the houses of Almdlir and Arendelle.”

“A ridiculous notion” Elsa interrupted briefly, but fiercely, noting with some satisfaction that there were at least a few nods around the room. “The man is old enough to be my father, I will hear no more of it.”

The Baroness attempted to rally a last minute charge, drawing herself up to her best attempt at an imposing height and launching into an impassioned speech about the potential benefits of the union, the unspoken good character of the duke and the need for a solid line of succession in Arendelle. She seemed pleased with herself by the end of her speech, finishing off the spiel with a corny line about a nice wedding to help energise the populace and take everyone's mind off of the awful famine. Unfortunately for her, Elsa had not in fact been born yesterday.

“I would like to remind everyone that, re the issue of succession, I already have both a younger sister and as of last month a legally adopted daughter. Princess Amaranth Arendelle will be being formally presented at the harvest ball in a few months time, where I am certain you will all be charmed to meet her.”

Elsa looked supremely confident as she called for the voting process to begin, a low murmuring running about the room, whisper shouts and small arguments breaking out. Elsa gave the lords and ladies a few minutes to debate and clapped her hands above her head three times, the loud claps echoing through the hall.

The voting process was chaotic and loud, perhaps surprisingly so to anyone unfamiliar with politics. The simple matter was that most present simply did not care one way or the other, but attempting to curry favour, real or imagined from either side was a very real concern. After a few minutes of loud shouting and jostling Elsa gave the nod to Kai, who banged a wooden staff of office on to the ground and the count began. Left hands for no, right hands for yes. It was a simple system, although prone to errors and manipulation, but it was traditional and effective enough. 

The only votes which truly mattered were her council, the rest of the assembled nobility were more of a weather gauge, allowed to express their acceptance or displeasure at any given policy. Should enough of them go against her however, things could get dicey, as that suggested unrest or worse in the ranks.

Elsa’s brief mental count was a source of massive relief. It appeared as though her and Anna’s efforts had not been in vain, indeed she even picked up another couple of supporting votes from the “maybe” pile of councillors. Looking to Kai, who confirmed the count, Elsa spared herself a chance to look over the assembled minor nobility. To her glee it seemed as though public opinion was mostly with her, the right hands far outnumbered by the left, including a small coterie of outlandishly dressed fops standing around Lord Greensnake who gave her a companionable wave. He must have been the Paris contingent, she realised, looking at their absurd clothes, a certain realisation dawning, pleased to note a small forest of left hands raised.

“Majesty, the count is concluded, the Nay’s have it.”

Elsa grinned, a muted cheer running throughout the room as the baroness stalked back to her seat.

And now to see if her luck would hold clear through the next vote as she projected her voice clearly.

“My Lords and Ladies, some time ago I fell Ill briefly, as we mere mortals are wont to do. The good count here suggested that my wonderful sister temporarily take over the administration whilst I recovered my good health.”

She was deliberately underselling what had happened of course, and it was highly likely that most of the assembled nobility knew it too, but there was always a chance that some would buy it.

“Since I am now, quite clearly fully recovered...”

**“Aeeerooogh.”**

The mournful sound emanating from the corner of the chamber stopped Elsa dead, as every set of eyes in the room turned to the giant snowman. Marshmallow was holding out the two halves of his flower crown in his hands, a look of mourning on his chiseled face at the sad accident.

**“Huuuu”**

Anna laughed, the sound dispelling all sadness in the room, as she hopped to her feet and skipped over to the colossus.

“Hey, it’s ok Marshmallow, I can fix it! Let me help you, you big baby” 

Elsa’s heart overflowed with warmth at her sister's gentle touch, as she sweetly fixed the damaged wreath of flowers, chattering away softly to the snow giant, before climbing on to his knee and placing the crown upon his head. Marshmallow gave Anna a huge, and slightly awkward hug.

 _So much for the intimidation factor_ Elsa thought wryly, before recapturing her audience.

“As I was saying, since I am now fully well again, perhaps we can follow the Dukes recommendation for the second item on the list. The full restoration of my throne after it’s vacation in my sisters ever capable hands.”

The shouting and commotion was much briefer this time, with a forest of right hands raising to the roof, although the council remained largely split along the same lines as before. Still Elsa’s small coalition held fast, Baron Havriggar in particular looking at Elsa with confident fire in his eyes, his wife grinning cheerfully from the back rows arm in arm with her husband's mistress. She had committed a grievous faux pas by speaking for the duke, refusing him his right to present the proposal in his own words, but Elsa was beginning to see the value in occasionally leading with a fist rather than a soft glove.

“The Aye’s have it, Majesty” Kai loudly informed her over the din and hubbub.

Today was starting to look remarkably bright after all.

\-----------

Anna brushed Amaranths hair, the young girl sitting on the vanity stool in Elsa’s royal chambers with her new mother sat behind her on a high backed chair. Amaranth was playing idly with the variety of strangely shaped and coloured perfume bottles and cloth spritzers and pads, occasionally making appreciative noises about the story.

“And then Elsa just stood up and ran all over him, BAM. His whole evil plan fell down around his ears, all his evil buddies were laughing at him, and Elsa, she just stood there. She looked like a goddess, all powerful and stunning, just like… radiant and beautiful Y’know?”

Amaranth turned one of the perfume bottles on her small hamster companion briefly, earning an indignant squeak, before adopting a contemplative expression.

“Do you love Elsa?”

Her question caught Anna off guard, and, for the first time in her life she had to seriously consider lying. Of course Anna had lied all the time when she was younger, lies about missing chocolate or broken vases, or loose chickens, even that one time with the horse and the paint, but those were all tiny nonsense lies. They were simple white lies, never intended to truly deceive someone, and now here she was, seriously thinking about lying to Amaranth.

“Can… Can you keep a secret?” Anna’s heart was speeding up, the glowing red light from her bodice starting to warm up and strobe. Sometimes she truly regretted putting the blasted thing on.

“Course” Amaranths reply was rapid, her expression rapt curiosity. Anna remembered being her age once. Grown up secrets were the best kind, all filled with excitement, power, magic and mystery, she sighed internally, to think she couldn’t wait to grow up.

“Promise not to tell anyone? Ever? It could get us into super trouble.”

Now Amaranth looked very excited indeed.

“How much trouble?”

Anna shook her head sadly, brushing the young girls fringe.

“Not the fun kind. The… really bad kind.”

“Like… dead?”

Amaranths sky blue eyes began to fill with tears and Anna immediately wrapped her arms around her daughter, cooing and making hush noises in a reassuring manner.

“It’s ok Red, we’re going to be ok. Promise.”

Anna dryly wondered for a moment how she had managed to screw this up so completely. The poor girl had barely stopped having horrific nightmares a few days ago, the loss of her father and period of captivity a mortal strain on her mind. The medicine from the magician had helped, although he had clucked disapprovingly at the head physicians offering of laudanum, stating that it was far too strong. In the end they had used both, and it seemed to be working, although the laudanum made the young girl rather dopey even after a full night's rest. Anna tried again.

“It’s ok, we just have to be careful is all. I… I do love Elsa, and I can’t be certain, but I think she likes me too. We can’t tell anyone right now, understand?”

Amaranth nodded into the cuddle.

“Why?”

Anna groaned internally. The “Why” game was barely a few weeks old and already it was driving her insane in a dozen separate ways. Amaranth would ask a seemingly simple question, Anna would answer, then Amaranth would ask “why”. Anna would give more detail, then amaranth would pick an aspect of that answer, and ask “why” again. Gerda had chuckled herself hoarse when Anna had asked her about it, saying with a wink and a nudge that she reminded her of someone she once knew.

“Amaranth, we… Elsa and I. We are sisters, and we can’t… be together. People think it’s wrong. They think it’s wrong for girls to love girls for a start, and the fact that we are sisters… that just makes it worse.”

“But why?” Her eyes crossed in confusion, clearly struggling with something.

“Which one?”

“Both”

“I” Now it was Anna’s turn to crease her brows, catching Amaranths eyes in the mirror. “I don’t know. People… just don’t like people being in love with the same gender. It’s religious I think, something to do with not being able to have children? I don’t understand myself, I believe that being in love is all that matters.”

“And it’s not ok for sisters to love each other?” the young brunette looked earnest.

“Apparently not the way I love Elsa, no. Close family members aren’t meant to love each other like that either. I don’t know why, but if they do it can make bad things happen to any children they have together.”

Amaranth started to look panicked for a moment.

“No! Nono, like… when. Oh gods. So, when a boy and a girl love each other very much they can make a baby right…?”

Amaranths face was an “o” of confusion, but Anna ploughed on.

“And, if they super love each other then the man can make the woman have a baby ok? But if a brother and a sister did that, then the baby could be real sick. That’s what I meant.”

“How do they make a baby together?”

When rearing a child it is imperative to bear certain lessons in mind, one of which is to always keep your cool and never panic. Anna was incredibly bad at not panicking.

“Aaaah”

Anna ran out of the room half screaming, half giggling. Luckily for Amaranth Helga immediately poked her head around the corner.

“What ‘appened ‘ere yer ‘ighness?”

Fuzz was strutting around in circles around Amaranths feet barking in faint agitation.

“I asked Moma how a man puts a baby in a woman.”

Amaranth’s expression was somewhere between cross and abandoned, and she was furious when Helga exploded into peals of laughter. She was mollified when the old maid came over and wrapped her in a warm hug, the smell of chamomile and lanolin calm and soothing.

“‘Ave you tried askin er Majesty? I think Elsa might be able to answer yer question.”

Sometimes being a royal maid had its perks, and being faintly evil to the royal family was one of those perks.

\-----------

The next few days after the diet passed in a now characteristic blur of meetings, agreements and politics. Elsa and Anna barely saw one another, save for moments of co-ordinating what they had said, to whom, and why, before the swirl of socialising and meet and greets dragged them off again. Lord Greensnake and his small coterie had been happy to wait for Elsa’s attention, although that had resulted in a minor incident involving several kegs of ale, a large portly french noble who had come along for the ride, several of Arendelle's ladies of negotiable affection and a large prize hog.

Elsa had just finished dealing with his delegation, including granting the charming man a small purse of gold for some reason she could not precisely remember, mostly to get him to leave she supposed. It was late afternoon now, but she had a scheduled magical theory lesson this evening, and she was not going to miss it for the world. After all it meant two hours of nearly uninterrupted time with Anna. According to the note from clutched in her hands, practice had been moved to the third floor of the north tower, and so Elsa found herself navigating crowds of exploring nobles and throngs upon throngs of servants to reach her destination.

The weight of Anna’s confession was still weighing on Elsa, the scene from the sauna playing over and over in her mind whenever she had a spare moment. That evening had been equal parts sweet and dangerously erotic, both a wonderful experience involving being as free as possible, as well as a solid chunk of Elsa’s darkest fantasies come to life. It was dangerously addictive for Elsa to fall into daydreaming of all of the ways that evening “could” have gone if she had let it, and it had been so incredibly tempting. With a sigh she banished the fantasy from her mind, trying her best to calm her fluttering heart and agitated loins, It would be so nice simply to sweep Anna into her arms and kiss her deeply, meling their warmth and love together forever. Sadly however, she knew that discovery could mean Anna’s life being over, their sinful activities earning them imprisonment or banishment, or potentially worse. It could never be.

The third floor of the north tower was on the other side of a barricade of sorts, hung with a sign informing guests that it was closed for repairs. Elsa hesitated, concerned that it might be some kind of trap, but a pair of familiar voices floating down the stairwell reassured her that everything was fine. Elsa snuck up the stairs, her curiosity getting the better of her sense of right and wrong for a moment, after all they were speaking in a public place, and they knew she was coming.

“Give her space. Just remember what we talked about.”

The Magician's voice sounded warm and comforting, rather like a grandfather speaking to a favourite grandchild.

“I know. Purpose of love and all that, still can’t blame a girl for being a bit selfish.”

Anna by comparison sounded frustrated, perhaps somewhat wounded as well. Elsa swallowed reflexively, her mind going to all of the places of panic for a moment, had Anna confided in someone else? Had she taken the risk with her deadly secret? Elsa made sure her heels clicked slightly on the stairs, announcing her approach and dressing her face in her best daydreaming expression, pretending not to have heard.

The shell of a tower room had been cleared out, the shutters over the arrow slit windows replaced with boards, the floor washed back to the boards and the walls bare and scrubbed. Even after the best efforts of the castle staff a faint scent of fire and smoke hung in the air, a lingering presence in the world, a palpable reminder of tragedy past. Anna and her mentor were standing in the centre of the room, a series of bean bags and comfortable mats laid out on the floor. The room was otherwise empty save for a comical, almost stereotypical target dummy against a wall. The magician pulled his hand back from Anna’s shoulder at Elsa’s approach, and her perky sister all but came back to life when she saw Elsa entering the room smiling.

Elsa swept forwards, pulling Anna into a bone crushing hug, almost squeezing the air out of her younger sister.

“Mphf!”

Anna let out a faintly wheezy squawk, but wrapped her arms around her sister and nuzzled into her neck.

“Missed you. So Much.” Elsa whispered and Anna glowed in response.

“Air!” Anna gasped, as Elsa relaxed her hug. Elsa’s eyes raked over the Magician, doing her level best to scrutinise his reactions without being obvious, unfortunately he had simply ignored them and wandered over to the training dummy, apparently intent on fixing one of the arms. Since he had no tools, materials or apparent “thing” to fix, Elsa assumed he was simply giving them space. Stepping back from Anna for a moment, the two gazed lovingly into each other's eyes, Anna seductively biting her lower lip and lidding her eyes in an adorably sexy fashion. Elsa stared unashamedly for a moment before remembering herself.

“So.”

“So?”

Words forgotten for a moment, Elsa simply settled for grinning like a fool, before turning towards their mentor and dragging Anna into a sideways hug, her cute sisters head resting on her shoulder.

Todays lesson was a new form of meditation that their tutor wanted them to do three times a week, or more if they felt like it. Elsa felt a familiar tingle of excitement at learning something new as he showed them how to stand, the flowing movements coinciding with the movement of energy inside their bodies. The strange fey man described it as a physical meditation, designed to increase the strength inside their bodies, as well as improve their magical conduits and improve focus. Most of the first lesson was spent simply squatting in mid air, slowly raising and sinking whist internally moving energy around and Elsa’s thighs were soon burning with exertion. Anna however seemed to be taking the lessons easily in her stride, years of horse riding experience coming to the fore, gifting her with startling endurance.

_I wonder how much endurance she would have in the bedchamber. No Bad Elsa! Stop thinking about your sister like that._

Elsa felt the barest dusting of embarrassment dusting her cheeks, and she caught the Magicians eyeline for a moment, a wry look of understanding painted on his face, as Elsa tried to ignore the fact she had been glancing at Anna’s hind quarters just a moment before. They finished their last rise to a standing position and finished with a short bow, an experience rather alien to Elsa.

A short lecture on the nature of magical elements, their relationship to one another and their affinities and deficiencies followed. Elsa was, by this point, well versed in basic elemental lore and could draw the four pointed rose easily from memory, placing each element and meta element elegantly on the parchment without needing to consult a tome. Anna struggled mildly, but poured her heart and soul into studying regardless. Another hour of traditional meditation followed, leaving the girls refreshed and relaxed, just in time for the evening meal and last round of meetings. They were tidying up when Elsa approached their tutor.

“”Magician. How goes the work on our guest in the dungeons?”

The Magician straightened from his task of folding one of the comfortable mats they had been using during their meditation session, his expression contemplative, his off hand scratching his stubble.

“Lachina? I have the shape of the spell fairly worked out now. I can craft the necessary spellwork to alter the magic, but the spell I intend to craft can only be worked under a new moon.”

Elsa nodded slowly, details from her previous lessons flooding her mind.

“The new moon, magically associated with deceit, subterfuge and disguise? I suppose that makes sense, the next new moon is very soon from now is it not?”

Her correct musing provoked a winning smile, and some nodding from her teacher.

“Indeed, it is due on about the first of next month, three days from now. We should have some answers soon.”

Elsa nodded and made to follow her sister out of the door and in the general direction of dinner, however just as she was about to leave, the Magician stopped her with a gentle hand on her elbow. Elsa jumped slightly at the human contact, before relaxing.

“Majesty. If you ever need my assistance with anything, or you just need to talk about something, my door is always open. I like to pride myself on being a useful outside perspective.”

“I am not sure what brought this on Magician, but, thank you. If I ever have need, I shall call upon you.”

“Excellent! I’ll hold you to that, now let’s go eat then hmm?”

\-----------

Dinner had been, up until this point a rather tedious affair, even with the reduced number of guests for this evening. A large number of the nobles had already departed for their home courts, the meat of the diet done and the feasting winding down. To Elsa’s surprise the overall tenor of the affair had been positive once she had put her foot down, her fierce negotiating skills but benevolent reputation had alleviated the worst of the scorn she had been expecting over her age. Her father's name had come up hundreds of times in conversation, many of her nobility speaking of him in glowing terms and some of his respect had been passed to her it would seem, a useful commodity in these trying times. Now Elsa found herself sat in the royal dining hall, the table composed on her high council members, the Duke and Baroness unsurprisingly absent, and her immediate circle of bodyguards and of course Anna.

Anna was fluttering her eyelashes at her again. The first time Anna had attempted to get Elsa’s attention she had pointedly ignored her sister, instead busying herself in conversation with Androff Kolm, discussing the finer points of her northern border defences.

This time however the eyelashes were accompanied by a set of tiny questing toes sliding over her leg. Elsa blinked a few times, the sudden, rather delicious, contact with her sisters skin gently startling her out of conversation. Their eyes met across the table, Anna’s sea green eyes flashing dangerously, a mischievous grin creeping on her face. It occurred to the queen that ignoring her may not have been the wisest plan of action. The soft stroking continued on Elsa’s calves and shins, her sisters toes tracing gentle patterns across her skin.

Elsa wanted nothing more in that moment than to sigh with pleasure, dismiss the table, and carry her sister upstairs to bed. The thought worried her more than she could let on, even to herself. It would be so easy to give in, so tempting, but she had to stand firm. A difficult conversation was looming, but for now, she had to focus on getting through dinner without a diplomatic incident. Elsa shot Anna a faint grin before channeling a tiny spurt of magic, forming a tiny vortex of frozen air under the table before directing it straight up the skirts of the mischief minded fire mage sat opposite her. Her sister's reaction to receiving an icy blast straight to the crotch was something Elsa wanted to have framed and hung on her bedroom wall.

“AiEeek!” 

Anna’s expression was priceless, shock, indignation, and laughter with just a tiny touch of arousal, before she noticed the assembled table looking at her.

“Ah bit mah tongue.”

Anna lied, relieved at the chortles and immediate relaxed mood around the table, shooting a mock death glare at Elsa, who stuck her tongue out in response in a lightning speed gesture missed by almost everyone present. Anna simply gave her a cheery smile in response and turned to busy herself in conversation with Baroness Havriggar, the older woman giving Anna a companionable nudge in the ribs.

Elsa couldn't be certain why, but their companionable closeness faintly worried her in a way she couldn't put her finger on.  


_Mine_

\-----------

Anna and Elsa were the first to leave the table, as was tradition, and whilst this tradition was usually ignored, the Diet commanded a more formal atmosphere than normal. It was frankly stifling and the royals could not wait to be rid of it, which was a large part of their joint desire to flee upstairs at the first opportunity. Arm in arm and both looking as tired as possible. Elsa couldn't help but giggle quietly at their unspoken shared deception, and Anna grinned back conspiratorially, whilst giving a passing noble a huge fake yawn. By the time they were passing the guard to the royal quarters, they were both almost stifling giggles, as well as no longer quite so fake yawns.

The clunk of the heavy wooden door to the royal chambers had never sounded quite so welcome to the sisters, both women leaning on the door exchanging a loving gaze. Time slowed down for a moment for Elsa as Anna moved closer to her, strong slender arms delicately capturing her waist, beautiful green eyes locked with her own. Elsa felt her breath hitch and her heart beat start to race, as Anna pulled her close, placing soft butterfly kisses on her collarbone. Anna’s kisses were electric and the blonde ice mage felt herself instantly heat up, waves of arousal crashing over her.

“Ah! Anna! Sto- stop.”

Elsa panted, and Anna did so, although she looked mildly crestfallen.

“I’m sorry Elsa, I didn't mean to disgust you.”

Elsa smiled down at her sister, wrapping her in a tight hug.

“You don’t disgust me Anna, never think that.”

Anna hummed happily, nuzzling into Elsa’s neck gently.

“I love you Elsa. So much. Thank you for not hating me.”

“I could never hate you either, silly goose. I care about you a great deal.” Elsa picked her words carefully, hiding her sorrow about not being able to give Anna everything she wanted and deserved.

Anna twisted in Elsa’s arms, pulling her arms across her front, leaning into the hug, her sisters head resting gently on her shoulder.

“Elsa?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you love me?”

Elsa tensed up for a moment, certain that Anna could feel the change in her arms and posture.

“Of course, you are my sister.”

Anna hugged her arms tighter, nuzzling the side of Elsa’s face with her own.

“You promised not to shut me out, remember?”

Elsa closed her eyes, trying to control the storm of emotion inside her, marshalling her thoughts. 

“I’m not shutting you out Anna, I ju-”

Anna put a finger up to Elsa’s lips, interrupting.

“Then be honest, no shutting me out of your heart either. Do you have feelings for me?”

A light dusting of snow started to fall in the room, faint traceries of ice spreading out away from Elsa. A single tear landed on Anna’s bare shoulder as she removed her finger from Elsa’s lips.

“It isn’t about what I feel, or want. What either of us want. We have to think about the kingdom, about our lives Anna.”

Elsa sounded torn, her heart in shreds and tatters. Anna turned, a look of awe and wonder etched on her face.

“You do? Don’t you? You _like_ me, like me.”

Elsa couldn’t meet her gaze, shrinking back into the corner of the room, their bodies still pressed together in the hug, her arms dropping to her sides.

“Say it.” Anna whispered, tracing a finger down Elsa’s face.

“Anna.” Elsa’s voice was a warning, her face miserable. “Enough, Anna.”

Anna took several steps back, freeing her sister, but keeping her eyes locked on Elsa’s face, as the blonde covered her face with her hands for a moment, the frigid temperatures increasing slightly.

“This is what you have been afraid of isn't it? If… If you want me to stop, and I mean you really want it, not just because you think I should then…” Anna’s voice slowly lowered. “If it’s what you want in your heart, not your head, then I’ll stop everything. Just say the word.”

Elsa clutched her arms, her posture wounded and frightened, as she shook her head slowly.

“Let’s… Let’s go to bed Anna. I’m tired.”

It seemed as though speaking was enough to exhaust the monarch, and Anna nodded brightly, scampering to grab a hairbrush and warm robe. Her warm chattering slowly tugged Elsa from her dark mood.

“Ohh, hair brush, hmm… dandelion or vanilla hair oil? Vanilla I think.”

Elsa sat on the corner of the bed, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. It seemed impossible to her that Anna could be happy right now, that she could be so wonderfully strong, but here she was. The fiery redhead had a genuine grin on her face, practically exploding with joy, as she scuttled about fetching cosmetics, massage oils, robes, nightgowns and pillows. Anna dumped the assorted pile on the bed next to Elsa before jumping onto the bed behind her older sister. Anna’s voice was quiet and joyful.

“Just sisters for the evening. I promise. Hair brushing, bath’s, stories and complaining about boys right?”

Elsa nodded mutely, a ghost of a smile finally gracing her face as she glanced back at Anna, her dexterous fingers already working Elsa’s hair loose and running the scented oil through the blonde tresses.

“I’m sorry Anna, I don’t deserve you.”

“Never say that Elsa, you absolutely deserve to be happy. Never let her in.”

_Never let her in._

Those words rolled around in Elsa’s mind for the rest of the evening, even through the candlelit bath with lavender oils. Anna sat on one of the low carved stone stools, whilst Elsa relaxed in the warm water, her back turned to give her older sister privacy the two chattering inconsequently about soap, the weather and which flowers were in bloom today. After Elsa had bathed, Anna took a turn as Elsa sat on the squat stool giving her sister the privacy she needed for her bath. It was surprisingly hard not to sneak a glance backwards when Anna let her robe fall to the floor, and slipped out of her knickers, but Elsa’s resolve held if barely.

Anna's bath was brief by comparison, but they shared a pleasant moment none the less. Elsa heard the wet sounds of sloshing followed by the slap of feet hitting the marble tiles.

“Hey Elsa, want a massage? My neck is kinda killing me so I figure you can’t be much better off.”

“Just a massage right?” Elsa murmured over her shoulder, her stomach doing a faint loop at the prospect.

“Yup! Promise.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Elsa said with a faint grin, as her sister appeared in her vision, wrapped in a bath towel. Elsa rose slowly, a faint pain in her neck proving Anna’s prediction correct and she winced, leading the younger woman over to her bed. True to her word, Anna gave Elsa a soft, professional massage, her strong fingers running across her back and neck. Anna’s hands were abnormally warm, and Elsa felt magical heat pulsing into her muscles with every press of her palms, her muscles relaxing and her blood rushing to her skin. The sensation was divine, and Elsa couldn’t help herself, sensual moans rolling off her tongue with every press and squeeze. After a mere few minutes Elsa was completely made of jelly, totally relaxed and giggly despite the earlier events, as Anna flopped down to the bed next to her, their faces almost touching.

“Your turn” Anna whispered as Elsa just giggled at her slightly flushed face.

Struggling upright the Ice Queen felt her stomach throw a loop as Anna shuffled her bathrobe down to her beautiful rounded derriere, the enticing curve of her breasts, ribs and hips on full tantalising display as Anna laid before her, face down. Elsa gave her the best massage she could, although light icy touches were slightly less useful than hot ones, but they did make Anna make some very enticing noises. The urge to surreptitiously touch herself kept floating across the back of Elsa’s mind but she knew that would be an awful idea, to say nothing of the level of dishonesty involved, she settled for blushing madly.

After Elsa had finished she scooped Anna into a hug, dragging a blanket across them as they spooned. Anna was asleep within moments, and Elsa marvelled at her beauty and spirit. Truthfully, she wanted nothing more in that moment to kiss her little sister awake and make love to her until dawn greeted them both. Her tears mixed with Anna’s hair as sleep took her, safe wrapped around the one thing she wanted more than anything in the world, and could not have.


	15. First blooms of summer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for those of you in regular contact, this will come as no surprise, but I'm posting it here for posterity. I am apparently incapable of controlling Anna, and as a consequence I present... chapter 15. Aka (almost) nothing here was in the original draft. Enjoy!

Lord Aran was disquieted, and in truth had been for weeks now. His Queen’s insistence on trusting almost everything to this… complete stranger had been galling in the extreme. They knew next to nothing about this new “royal astrologer”, and whilst he had shown some minor magical skill, the guard captain still distrusted the man. He was moderately certain that this so called “Magician” had forged documents authorizing castle renovations, persuaded the Queen to pardon a known notorious bandit and, if the events of a few days ago were to be believed he was responsible for interfering with a castle wide search to locate a potentially missing queen and princess. The official story had been that Elsa was recuperating in her chambers with a headache, but Aran had sneaked over to her balcony to check and seen a completely empty room.

Since the royal sleigh had turned out to be missing as well, replaced with a wooden frame under a tarp, Captain Aran had assumed that the royals had snuck out of the castle in some damn fool attempt to get themselves killed or captured.

Now, he was watching the irritating creature kitten pawing at a known assassin and murderer as he prepared some kind of spell or enchantment. It mostly seemed to involve brushing a sticky oil into the young womans hair. Arans pride had been well and truly pricked by the discovery that the young woman's lips were sealed with magic, had he been allowed to interrogate the young woman properly, he was certain he could have implicated the duke by now. Frankly this whole affair rankled his honour a little, and he hoped that this slow approach would at least yield some useful information.

“Is this going to take much longer mage? You are trying my patience again.”

The Magician tutted under his breath, he had been doing that quite a bit recently.

“Captain, a little faith please, if not in me then in Queen Elsa’s sound judgement. This should take little time now.”

The captain snorted, leaning into the castle stonework as though it had personally offended him. The magician busied himself with a large tome and a thin white wooden wand, walking circles around the nervous looking young woman, the wand trailing faint sparkles in the air.

“Vos, Viiras. Ahnem to theil riu. Tor theil illiath, thenos dur. Viiras illiath.”

As the magician chanted he waved the wand in lazy circles at the cardinal points around the young assassins head, leaving a glowing silver rune floating in the air, sparkling dust trailing down to the floor. The magicians chanted words of power picked up force and energy,

“Tiir valeth, Tiir hel. Ano therendir!”

There was a brief chime, and the sound of something glass like cracking, as well as a pulse of air rushing away from the raven haired assassin in chains and Lachina gasped suddenly clutching at her throat. The sparkles and runes had disappeared completely in the explosion of magic.

“Gnh! Ah… I think that worked.” The young woman managed, her voice now tinged with a faint musical chime

“You should be free to speak your mind now young lady. If I have missed anything you should feel a tightness in your throat and a magical tingling before you say anything dangerous.”

“Count Soren.” The girl quietly said, a look of relief and elation passing across her face. “It was Count soren who hired me, I know you want me to tell you it was the Duke of Almdlir, but I’m sorry it wasn’t.”

_DAMN. Damn and blast._

Count Soren was a minor noble from the neighboring country of Norway, a relative economic and military powerhouse in comparison to Arendelle, even despite their recent setbacks and losses in war to neighboring countries. If Arendelle attempted to retaliate without solid evidence they would be crushed like a bug. He was known to the court of Arendelle because his county bordered Hoytslott, and as a consequence he was a reasonably regular visitor to the country to discuss border issues, customs and bandit related problems.

“Why did you try and assassinate Princess Anna?” Captain Aran demanded.

“Money.” Lachina answered simply. “Money and medicine.”

The Magicians expression was alight with curiosity.

“Medicine?”

“Aye, for Shaun, my brother he’s a wee bairn really. He has some kind of wasting sickness, in his lungs. His medicine is expensive, and I only have one trade, two if you count stealing.”

“And so you trade strangers lives for your brothers?” Aran asked, naked fury evident in his words.

“Aye, the ones that deserve it. There is never a shortage of nobles who take the piss, men who think they own the bodies of all their serving girls, women who like to poison other men's wives, conniving old bastards who’ll murder their own sons to keep power.”

Lachina’s voice was cold and dispassionate, her emotions completely unconnected from her easy talk of death.

The Magician interrupted.

“Why Anna then? She is completely innocent as far as royalty goes, her worst crime is living in luxury because of her birth, hardly a killing offence.”

“Aye, she is innocent. I couldn’t kill her, and so I failed. I failed myself and I failed Shaun. According to the dark bastard that put this spell on me, if I had managed to get the princess then he was going to cure Shaun proper, and give us enough gold for me to set up a real life somewhere.” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “I could have gone home maybe.”

The magician span a chair around dexterously and sat on it in reverse style, before speaking in a half amused, half dangerous tone.

“Where is Shaun now? And do tell me more about this “Dark Bastard” you mentioned, for I would very much like to meet him.”

Lachina haltingly explained her unusual recruitment for this particular job, and the circumstances of her being in Arendelle, and Captain Aran had to admit that this was a fascinating tale. She was even providing extra information, unprompted, because she thought it “might be useful.”. Perhaps there was something to this interrogation method after all he mused.

\-----------

Flecks of dust were shaken loose from the roof beams of the Fish and Bowl as the six dozen citizens below stamped their feet and span in time to the tune. The late afternoon sun was streaming through the thrown open windows and doors, illuminating the scene of merriment and joy within. The now rather famous skald of Arendelle was prancing around on the stage, leading the tune whilst a portly older gentleman provided the accompaniment with a lute. As the song completed, the crowd returned to their seats, laughing and clapping each other warmly on the shoulders.

Sat in pride of place in the tavern were the conquering heroes, back from their adventures east to the barony of Hoytslott, the large blonde man and broad shouldered brown haired knight. Kristoff and Sir Johan had returned that morning after an exciting adventure involving a sled chase, and subsequent brawl up in the mountain roads, leaving the two young men victorious but mildly wounded. They were now sat near the centre of the pub being plied with food and drink in honour of their victory over the bandits. Kristoff in particular was suffering good naturedly from the attentions of a young blonde woman with her hair up in a spiral plait.

Kayla was so distracting in fact that Kristoff barely heard the story unfolding around him as everyone began to tuck into their evening meals.

“Back in the mists of time, as the world was tamed and the Vanir’s power in midgard began to wane there lived a young woman, the daughter of a fierce and proud human noble, the lord of Vanholm.”

The tavern drew silent, the sound of eating the only noise, as the skalds mesmerizing voice filled the space. Kristoff found himself staring into a pair of stunning hazel eyes, a flame of dancing mischief contained within.

“Though she was young, her spirit was wild and untamable, and she knew her destiny lay beyond the stifling castle walls. Jennassa was the pride of the people of Vanholm, her beauty and strength of arm legendary across the realm. She was a swift and deadly shot with a hunting bow, and her spear arm could thrust proud and true.”

Kaylia flexed one of her arms, the surprisingly present bulge of muscles caught kristoff off guard for a moment, clearly earned from years of hauling sacks of flour and stove trays of piping hot bread. Her faintly comical expression broke as they both giggled.

“It was a dark time in Midgard, the young human nobility were vain and cruel, and Lord Vanholm was no exception. He had wealth and slaves aplenty, his people bent to his will, taming the wilderness of his lands. Jennassa _was_ the wilderness, her spirit irrepressible, and she chafed at her father's rules and his cruelty, taking every opportunity to flee his castle to the forest wilderness.”

Kristoff concentration was rather thoroughly being ruined by Kaylia snuggling into his lap, her shoulder blades pressing gently into his chest. Looking to Johan for some kind of rescue the burly knight simply shrugged, grinning and raised a glass in his direction.

_Traitor! Help!_

The rich baritone voice continued to float across the crowd.

“Perhaps it was fate that she met her blue eyed prince of the forest, his temperament a perfect match for her own. The young wolf lord, an Ulfhednar, had no human name, for his family was the birds and the trees. Their love was immediate, a moth drawn to flame, and she thought to take him as a lover.”

Many meals were laying part touched, the audience entranced again. This story was new.

“Jenessa’s father's wrath was legendary, and his rage terrible to behold, for his daughter's soft heart was anathema to his law. He watched quietly with growing fury as his daughter's heart was stolen away, inch by inch by her new beau, and their pure love was beyond his cruel hearts comprehension. She gave herself to the forest and the spirits within, entranced by the minor faeries and magical creatures she was now privy to. She saw the beauty of the world again.”

Kayla stole a longing glance back at kristoff, her cheeks filled with a light blush, as he felt his body reacting beyond his control. His heart was racing, and his stomach filled with butterflies. He had a sudden desire to know everything about this enchanting creature on his lap.

“Come the day of Jenessa’s 19th birthday her father sought to constrain her, to steal her away from her forest lover. He convinced Jenessa to invite her intended to the castle, to vie for his blessing in a tournament of arms, but his plans were darker by far. He swore every oath imaginable to his blood, to buy her confidence and he did so in ill faith.”

There was a shared intake of breath, as well as a dark collection of boo’s and hisses from the audience at this pronouncement. The room grew faintly dark with the influence of magic, and the fire threw dancing lances of light and shadow across the room.

“Jenessa was taken at night, bound in iron by her fathers men, and thrown in a carriage bound for the furthest reaches of his realm. Her forest lover was confronted at the castle by a legion of serf warriors, armed with a sea of iron and death.”

Everyone in the room drew closer to one another reflexively, and Kayla shivered into kristoff, drawing his broad strong arms around herself for protection.

“Even as Jenessa broke from her bondage and raced across the countryside, her way lit by the full moon's light, her lover was struck down by a hundred spear points, his lupine magic insufficient against the hatred and malice of man. He died with the name of his lady love on his lips, cursing lord Vanholm with all of his might and magic. And that many say, is the origin of the first werewolf, a being of hatred and rage, cursed under the light of a full moon. A promise broken, an oath scorned.”

The crowd exploded into consternation, applause and shouted questions. The theme became rapidly apparent that everyone wanted to know more, clearly the story could not simply end there? And so the Skald began the second half of his tale, the story of Jenessa the huntress and her search for the black wolf, one of the greatest hunts of all time. Kristoff hugged Kayla close, her scent filling his nose.

_This is nice. I like this._

\-----------

Across Arendelle town however, dinner was being served to royalty. Elsa had finally managed to shoo away the last of the nobles, and most of her council, and the castle was almost empty again. Elsa and Anna were the only people present in the dining room, Amaranth would be returning from the royal estate the following day. They sat faintly in silence, occasionally exchanging smiling glances. Elsa found herself unable to even begin conversation with Anna, her selective mutism having started up that morning after her accidental revelation the other night.

Anna knew her secret. Anne knew that Elsa held less than sisterly desires towards her, and, perhaps worse, they were reciprocated.

Perhaps predictably it had ruined everything. Elsa could no longer look at Anna without naked lust running across her face. Every interaction with the gorgeous redheaded woman was new, exciting and illicit. They had almost touched when Elsa passed Anna the butter over breakfast and the near contact had been electric. Perhaps worst of all was the lack of anything Elsa could say, she felt like a child again, bereft of any years of experience and simply rendered down into an insensible mess.

Elsa had spent a huge amount of time worrying about exactly how telling her sister the truth would ruin things, and this eventuality was not among the list she had thought up. 

The serving staff brought out the desert, silver tureens covering the plates. Elsa glanced at Anna, Anna blushed heavily and looked away. Anna glanced at Elsa, Elsa blushed and closed her eyes, concentrating heavily on keeping her powers in check.

_Just say something! Anything!_

_But… I can’t. Anything I say has to be perfect. Just perfect. Just like Anna,_

Elsa mentally shook herself, they were not doing this. They were sisters, and that was how it was going to stay, feelings be damned. She lifted the tureen lid.

A Heart shaped strawberry tartlet glistened back invitingly. Her absolute favourite dish, and presented as a heart.

Elsa glanced at Anna, her face covered partially with a hand as she stared at a mixed chocolate torte, also in the shape of a heart.

“Elsa, thank you! It’s perfect!”

Anna gushed, breaking the silence of the day, as a degree of confusion flooded Elsa.

_Wait, you didn't plan this? Then who did?_

Anna stood and bustled round to Elsa, enveloping her in a desperate hug, her hot breath tickling Elsa’s neck and ears. The mildly confused monarch reached up and tried to return the hug, only to find her sisters lithe figure sliding into her lap.

“I love you Elsa, so much.”

Anna’s voice was low, and filled with love. Elsa breathed out heavily, her stomach was swarmed with a million butterflies, her lungs felt light and filled with sparkles and her head swam at the sudden close contact.

“I… I love you too, Anna, more than anything.”

Elsa almost choked as she whispered back, her voice feeling slightly alien after having not really used it that day. Anna sighed with pleasure, nuzzling Elsa’s neck for a moment, before a faint stifled titter drifted across the room. Elsa’s gaze shot across the room, only to lock eyes with a rather familiar looking young maid, standing by the service table. A look of recognition crossed Elsa’s face as she remembered the incident in the closet.

The maids eyebrows appeared to be doing some manner of complicated dance, clearly trying to communicate a complex idea, as her eyes went from Elsa to Anna repeatedly.

_No… Not possible. She cannot be suggesting… I will kill her, the little minx_

The maid gave a last faint giggle, before giving Elsa a short bow, and retreating from the room leaving the two royals completely alone. Anna stirred in her arms, extricating herself from the cuddle and shuffling back into her seat. Anna picked up her fork and began daintily cutting into her dessert, her voice thick with affection and love.

“I was so worried Elsa, I thought you were still angry at me, y’know for finding out your secret?”

Elsa couldn’t help but chuckle briefly, some of the day's tension leaving her as she began to talk at last.

“No, Anna, I’m not mad at you. I just… I don’t really know, I think I might be embarrassed I suppose? Perhaps that isn’t the right word.”

“Nervous?” Anna asked, a brief look of mischief crossing her face. “Of little Me? Oh Elsa you must have it bad.”

“Anna!” Elsa giggled, all the tension broken. “Fine, yes. You make me feel… incredible, just looking at you makes me turn into a little girl again, this is intolerable.”

Anna leaned closer, batting her eyelashes and pulling her dress down slightly to expose more cleavage.

“Maybe there is something we could do, huh? Something to release all of that “tension” you have.”

Elsa’s crestfallen expression brought her sister up short.

“Anna, you know we can’t. We just… can’t.”

Anna’s flirty, happy expression turned thunderous.

“Bullshit.”

Elsa looked startled as Anna’s anger exploded onto her face, her younger sister's voice hurt and dangerous.

“Why are you shutting me out again Elsa? Because you are worried what someone else thinks? Are you too afraid to fight? Too scared to be honest? Or is it because you don’t love me enough?”

Anna stood dramatically, tears streaming down her face, all pretence of desert forgotten. Waves of heat were radiating off the young princess and the unlit candles in the room were rapidly streaming and melting. Tiny patches of flame appeared on the tablecloth.

“I LOVE you, Elsa, more than the sun, more than the moon, more than being alive. I will fight for you, I’ll fight anyone and everyone if I have to. I will scream my love for you from the highest towers if you would just let me.”

Elsa was speechless before the eruption of Anna’s fury.

“And… and you are shutting me out. Being scared again. And it hurts Elsa, like thirteen years of loneliness, and rejection, and thinking you hate me. So now... “ Anna paused for a moment tears gathering like stormclouds in her eyes. “It’s my turn.”

And with that, Anna fled from the room, trails of ash flowing from the back of her dress as it disintegrated slowly.

“Anna! Anna, wait!”

Elsa tried to follow, but there was a solid wave of hot air blasting backwards, pushing her down, and just like that Anna was gone, the sound of running footsteps and sobbing retreating away. Elsa pulled herself up from the floor and gave chase, sprinting through the halls, heedless of the questions and alarm thrown her way. Up and up they went, until they reached the corridor to the royal suite and Elsa saw her sisters retreating back disappear into her room, the door slamming shut with a depressing finality, the loud clack of the lock echoing down the hall. As Elsa reached the door she could hear the faint sounds of sobbing on the other side, and she slid to the floor, her own tears flowing freely.

“Anna… please… I’m sorry.”

The door remained closed.

\-----------

It had been two days since the incident at dinner, two days of Anna refusing to see her or leave her room. Elsa had sent word to extend Amaranths stay at the royal estate for a few days until she had managed to sort out this latest disaster, and now, here Elsa was, staring at a door.

The cruel irony was not lost on Elsa, the parallels clearly intentional, this torture tailor made for her.

The Queen of Arendelle had spent practically all morning fending off worried servants and members of staff, dozens upon dozens of questions and concerns about her sister and what had happened. By far the most painful conversation had been with Kai and Gerda however, the two closest people left in the castle to parental figures she had left. Kai’s words had cut her more than she was willing to admit.

“It is clear that she feels you have let her down, Majesty.” Kai’s expression was sombre. “And, if I may be so bold, you need to do whatever it takes to make her hear you.”

Gerda had been no less kind.

“I don’t know what you two argued about, and don’t try and tell me it wasn’t an argument young lady! But you need to make it up to her. She idolizes you, Majesty, and her happiness hangs on your every word. Whatever it takes.”

The only person who had not taken a jab at her had been the Magician, indeed he seemed strangely calm about the whole scenario.

“When you are both willing to admit the truth to yourselves and each other about _why_ the argument happened, you will be able to move past it. Trust love to heal all wounds. And if you need help with anything, anything at all, my door is always open, no judgements.”

Elsa had nearly spilled the truth then and there, sat on a cushioned bag, armed with a cup of tea and soft animal sat on her lap, but she had a crisis of confidence at the last moment.

And now, here she was again. Sat in an empty corridor, outside of her sisters room, forehead pressed against the unyielding wood. Her words betraying her, Elsa’s emotions swirled around in her mind, a storm of feelings that she felt detached from, floating above the chaos.

_What do I do? What do we do with… this._

“Anna?”

Elsa heard shuffling on the other side of the door. She relaxed for a moment and let her senses flow outwards. Anna was so close to her their magical aura’s were practically mingled, she was sat, on the other side of the door, in a position Elsa once used to occupy.

“Anna I know you're there, I can feel you.”

A single sniff was the only response.

 _This is worse than dying. I can’t live like this._ Elsa choked out a brief laugh.

“Anna… I can’t do this anymore. The fighting, the ignoring each other… it isn’t fair. To either of us.”

Elsa took a deep breath. And let everything go.

“I… I’m willing to try. To… to risk everything, but you have to talk to me.”

Anna’s voice was faint, but hopeful.

“Elsa? I love you so much, I need you to fight for me.”

“I will. I promise. But we need a plan, Anna. What… what do you want to do?”

There was silence for a minute, although Elsa could hear faint rustling on the other side of the door. It clicked open, revealing Anna, tears streaked across her face and her complexion blotchy. Elsa practically fell into her arms, before Anna swiftly scooped her up into her arms and carried her over to the bed. Anna pushed her sister into the centre of her huge royal bed, and wrapped up in a nest of blankets, burying her face in Elsa’s stomach.

They stayed like that for a while, Elsa laying on her back staring at the ceiling, and Anna half laughing half sobbing into her stomach, her arms and legs curled around her big sister in a possessive hug. Eventually Anna’s hysterics subsided, and she nuzzled Elsa contentedly.

“Anna?”

“Yeah?”

“What now? I’m… Tired. I’m tired of lying, of pretending. But we can’t just throw ourselves into this, we need a plan. What do you want to do?”

Anna was quiet for a moment, before rearranging herself into a more conventional hug, pinning Elsa to the bed with her arms and legs.

“We go on another date. Just you and me, no secrets or pretending this time, and whatever happens… happens.”

Elsa flushed with excitement. She knew exactly how that could end, and truthfully, after all this time pretending, it sounded nice to finally give in.

“I think I can agree to that… If you tell me how this… us… is going to work.”

Anna went quiet for a moment.

“I don’t know. But we have to try Elsa. I need you, all of you. And I refuse to share you with some nobleman or other.”

Elsa pulled Anna closer, placing kisses on the crown of her hair. Really, what was there left to say?

“Ok.”

They lay there for some time, neither wanting to be the first to let go, just enjoying the closeness and fragile peace after their argument. Morning found them still wrapped in one another's arms, Helga retreating gracefully from Anna’s room with a giant smile on her face, ready to share the good news with the rest of the staff.

\-----------

This was perhaps the least Queenly thing Elsa had ever done, but if anyone cared they had not actually said so yet. She was sat in the remains of Anna’s room, propped up in a pile of pillows on Anna’s bed receiving her kingdoms morning reports from her advisors, whilst Anna snuggled into her side. Elsa had noted with a degree of alarm that a good section of Anna’s room had not survived the last 24 hours intact, large scorch marks and incinerated dressers and tables had all apparently drawn the princesses ire during her period of isolation. Her control over fire and flame had become quite a lot more fine tuned since she had joined Elsa for magical theory lessons and it showed.

The latest report was from Captain Aran, detailing everything they knew about her sister's assassination attempt, including the price on Anna’s head. Anna’s life was apparently worth enough marks to buy a minor title, and a reasonable sized manor to boot, and Elsa wasn’t sure whether to be proud or insulted by the revelation. The thought filled her with dread regardless. The report before her seemed clear, the threat originated from a neighboring kingdom, and so she would have to write a very delicately worded letter to the king of norway, asking him to chastise his vassal.

Elsa drew on her powers, calling forth for a spirit willing to act as a messenger on Anna’s behalf. She needed something smart enough to recognise the king of norway, and intimidating enough to send the right sort of message. Scores of eager spirits popped up across the land, her mind's eye soaring above Arendelle. She selected a suitable spirit and carefully began crafting a form. Elsa started with the wings, it did after all need to fly, she wanted it to impress so it hard to be large, but not seen as a threat, so sadly a dragon was out of the question. As more and more icy feathers formed in Anna’s warm orange bedroom, the proud form of a giant eagle took shape. Kai, Aran and Elsa’s steward all took a step backwards. A piercing cry rent the air, as the giant creature beat it’s wings experimentally a few times.

“Whoa, Elsa.” Anna’s expression was one of smitten adoration, as she looked slowly between her newly acquired girlfriend and the giant ice creation.

“I think this should send the right message.” Elsa nodded, affixing a copy of her formal report on the assassination attempt to the back of a fresh piece of parchment and smoothly penning a short missive to the king. One icy messenger tube later, and the giant eagle was released out of Anna’s bedroom window, the giant french styled windows thrown open by some mildly unnerved servants.

Elsa turned her attention to her servants again, still faintly amused at the notion of holding court in her sister's bedroom. She looked to Captain Aran who seemed unsettled.

“What is it Captain?”

He looked as though a fierce internal debate was raging for a moment, before his shoulders slumped slightly.

“The prisoner Majesty. I have the papers for her execution ready but… your Magician is suggesting clemency. He thinks we can do more harm to your majesties enemies by releasing the girl with a conditional pardon…”

He looked frustrated, and Elsa gave the man a warm glance, noting with joy that her sister was also beaming sympathy at the man hard enough to leave a mark.

“I take it you disagree with his assessment?”

With a heave of effort, Captain Aran straightened his shoulders and replied carefully.

“I did. At first. Part of me still does. She tried to murder Princess Anna in cold blood, and I believe that she deserves nothing less than death. But… as much as I dislike that charlatan he has a proven track record of being irritatingly insightful. I… I cannot allow my own pride to interfere.”

Elsa looked prouder than she had ever been of her redoubtable guard captain, it could not have been an easy admission to make.

“Captain, I know how difficult that must have been, thank you. Are you formally deferring to his judgement?”

Aran shook his head slightly.

“Not quite. I am deferring to _yours_ , Majesty. You trust his judgement, therefore I shall too.”

Elsa turned to Anna, surprised to see her wiping at her eyes a little with a handkerchief.

“What do you think Anna? She is your assassin after all.”

Anna chuckled faintly at the claim.

“I suppose we could put her on retainer after all. I… I think we should let her rescue her brother. I mean he is innocent in all this, after that… I don’t know.”

Elsa nodded, drawing the blankets a little closer and hugging Anna. There was a series of mild coughs and shuffling of feet as Elsa realised how intimate this all looked, and she blushed and straightened slightly. She cleared her throat for a moment.

“I think we shall think about it for a little longer, but I doubt the execution will be going through in either case. She did not, after all, actually succeed, perhaps a lifetime imprisonment? Denmark has a permanent Goal do they not?”

There were mutterings of confirmation amongst her subjects. She moved the subject on, Anna resuming her comfortable position curled up with her head in Elsa’s lap, as their advisors droned on about the latest problems in the kingdom. Anna decided that this was a vastly preferable way to do Elsa’s morning meetings, and vowed to do it as often as possible. Elsa remained happily oblivious.

\-----------

As pleasant as ruling her kingdom from Anna’s bed had been, eventually they needed to get up, if only to use the bathroom, and Elsa had finally put her foot down. With much harrumphing and some not so subtle eye rolling Anna had eventually acquiesced, and they had headed down for an early lunch together. Whilst nothing physical had changed between them, there was something different about this morning's trip to the dining hall. Where Anna would normally hang from Elsa’s arm like a drape, occasionally buzzing off to speak to a servant or chase a butterfly, today she was downright stately. Indeed this almost felt as though Elsa was showing Anna off in some kind of a debut, as they took the stairs slowly, the beautiful redhead holding Elsa’s left arm in a chaste fashion. 

Elsa blushed mildly as she noticed some of the servants staring, and a faint trail of whispers following the pair down the halls. Just as the tall blonde was starting to get worried, Anna leaned in and whispered to her.

“Hey Elsa, everyone looks positively thrilled to see us, did you do something special in the last couple of days I don’t know about?”

_Yeah. Confessed my undying love to my little sister. And made her happy. If only they knew…_

“I’m not sure I can talk about it.” Elsa murmured quirking an eyebrow at the feisty young woman beside her.

“Oh.” Anna blushed faintly, catching at least some of Elsa’s meaning. “They don’t know do they…?”

Elsa recoiled mildly, a brief wave of panic running over her.

“No! No… I don’t think so. I have just been getting a lot of requests to…”

Elsa trailed off, remembering the phrasing she had heard so much the last few days.

“To what?” Anna’s eyes sparkled at her.

“To “Do whatever it takes to make princess Anna happy” I believe was the general shape of the request.”

Anna sniggered somewhat obscenely, a grin creeping across her face.

“Behave” Elsa hissed at her, through an expression of pure amusement.

Anna pouted briefly, and Elsa realised that they were temporarily alone, at the threshold to the dining room. Her sister seized the moment, leaning up to whisper in Elsa’s ear.

“I can think of something we could do that would make me _very_ happy indeed, dear sister.”

Elsa shivered uncontrollably, letting out a piteous moan as she felt Anna;s teeth graze her earlobe, a warm fiery tongue flicking across her sensitive skin. The normally unflappable Queen of Arendelle was reduced to an incoherent mess for a moment as Anna planted a series of hungry, biting kisses down her neck.

The rattling sound of the door in front of them being opened put an end to Anna’s dangerous game, and the two straightened up, regal masks falling into place. The servant who poked his head around the corner of the door brightened when he saw the two royals standing there, and welcomed them in to lunch. 

\-----------

Keeping Anna in check during lunch had proved difficult. Every time the maids back were turned, or the butlers left the room, Anna shot bedroom eyes at Elsa, raising her fluster every time. Until that morning, Elsa had been completely unaware it was possible to eat sandwiches seductively, however anna had made some very… graphic, motions with her tongue between two slices of bread that had almost caused Elsa to shriek out loud when she noticed.

Mercifully lunch had ended before Elsa had to resort to throwing food at Anna or possibly strapping her arms down with ice, and the two sisters had piled out into the hall, arm in arm giggling away. 

“Anna you are incorrigable.” Elsa snickered, leaning down and whispering into her sisters ear.

“Little me? I don’t know what you mean sister dearest…”

Elsa almost leapt three feet into the air when she felt Anna surreptitiously squeezing her bottom. Despite the fact that Anna had clearly waited until they were definitely alone on their way to the south wing, elsa’s heart still leapt into her mouth. Anna shrieked with glee when Elsa grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her into a closet, the warm darkness comforting and safe. Hungry lips urgently reached up, taking Elsa’s mouth suddenly.

Elsa had tastes her sister's lips once before, on her birthday, only just a week ago. Where that kiss had been simple, chaste and brief, this… this was hot, desperate and wanting. Elsa moaned into the kiss, completely forgetting herself for a moment as they fell together. Anna bit and nipped at her lips, desperate for entry as her hands roamed freely across her sister's body. With a herculean effort Elsa tore herself away, her breath coming in short excited gasps.

“Anna… Stop… please.”

“Ah… but… why?” Anna whined needily, guiltily pulling her hands back to herself.

Elsa could not see her expression in the darkness of the cupboard. But she could hear the hurt, the guilt and the need in her sister's voice.

“I… I pulled you in here to talk. We need to talk Anna.” Elsa started, feeling Anna shrink back. “No, Anna, no not…” She wrapped her arms around her feisty lover, nuzzling her and planting a kiss on the side of her head.

“I’m not mad at you Anna. I love you, and I do want to do… this. To kiss you, I mean.”

Elsa felt Anna calm down in her arms, her hug becoming more normal and less panicked, and her breathing slowing.

“But we need to talk about… boundaries I suppose. Lunch was… risky, and what you did in the hall…”

Anna grumbled, rubbing her face in her older sisters cleavage. before mumbling.

“Reckless, I know. I just get so lost in you.”

The platinum blonde clucked in an amused fashion, fussing the braids tickling her collarbone.

“Just… keep it to ourselves for now, yes?”

Anna squeezed Elsa fiercely, before replying in a quiet sultry voice.

“So kissing me isn’t disgusting?”

“Never”

“So… since we're in here already… one for the road? Please?”

A tense moment of silence.

“I don’t see the harm.”

This time was different again, and Elsa found herself marvelling at all of the new things she was learning. Anna leaned in so slowly and sweetly, the time until their lips met was anticipation the likes of which Elsa had seldom felt. Again she experienced the electric contact of Anna’s satin soft lips, but this time she lost herself in the moment. Their lips parted and Anna’s tongue snaked inside her mouth, hot and eager, seeking to dance. She tasted intimate and familiar, as though they had done this a dozen times before, but at the same time, new and exciting. Kissing Anna was everything she had ever hoped or dreamed, and there were too many things to keep track of at once. Their heart rates racing to synchronise, the tightness of breath, her swimming head, and the sudden oppressive tightness of all of these clothes. Time stretched and warped for a moment, before they both pulled back gasping, foreheads pressed together for support. Elsa noted with amusement that Anna was shaking like a leaf, before realising that she was hardly steady on her feet herself.

“Wow.” Anna gasped. “That, was worth waiting for.”

“Yeah…” Elsa sighed, her normally formal method of speaking lost in the moment.

“You really are as good at that as I dreamed.”

Elsa felt a dark thrill at the confirmation that Anna had been having erotic dreams about her, and it redoubled the need between her legs.

“You were better than I dreamed.” Elsa whispered.

Anna held back a half sniff, the emotion of the moment getting to her.

“Youre not just saying that? You really don’t find me disgusting? You really want this? Me?”

Elsa silenced her with another kiss, this one without anything extra or fancy, just an urgent need to press their mouths together for a moment,

“Never say that… Promise me.”

There was a pause.

“I promise Elsa. I promise never to doubt how much you love me, ever again.”

Elsa felt tears gathering in her eyes, as she pressed as close together as she could manage. Her voice was faintly hoarse.

“Damn right, my little firebug.”

Anna’s words were almost too quiet even for Elsa to hear, but she heard them.

“Never let her in again.”

_What_

If time had slowed to a crawl when they kissed, it all but stopped now.


	16. Scents of Summer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up on four days late. Winning at writing apparently.
> 
> So, as much as this pains me to admit, it looks like this is going to slow down slightly due to IRL concerns. I can't reasonably place a timescale for people unfortunately so if you want to be keep in the loop your options are sadly just to subscribe and check in occasionally. That said, I should still be able to manage a chapter a week or perhaps 10 days at the latest as a guide. I'm sorry for the delays, but there isn't a great deal I can do to speed it up.
> 
> That said, this chapter should be a doozy, although the angst level is slightly elevated.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Anonymous credit to Discord for the line "You smell like home" it was just too sweet not to steal shamelessly.

The moment stretched out further, the comforting darkness of the cupboard still wrapped around the young lovers. Elsa’s mind was reeling gently, had she accidentally skipped into Anna’s dreaming thoughts the other day, perhaps some accidental combination of the trollish magic and their close bond? It hardly seemed credible, but magic was a fickle beast.

“Anna? That phrase… where did you…”

Elsa trailed off, leaving the question open, curious, but at the same time faintly dreading the answer. Anna’s voice was timid, although her breathing was still flushed and heavy.

“Oh you know, nowhere in particular, just a thought I had.”

“Anna.” Elsa’s voice was soft, but insistent. “The truth?”

“You told me in a dream. Never let the version of you that I worry about in, the one where you hate me, or think i'm disgusting or things like that.”

Elsa could detect the traces of worry starting to creep into Anna’s voice, her normally irrepressible demeanor slightly dampened by the thought. Elsa kissed Anna on the forehead again, stroking one hand lazily up and down Anna’s side.

“We were in the sauna. And I smacked her so hard she dissolved.”

Elsa felt lighter for the admission, her heart soaring at how free she felt in this moment, just her and the love of her life, and no secrets.

“Yeah. You did.”

Anna whispered, squeezing Elsa tightly.

“We had the same dream…”

Elsa marvelled for a moment. No matter how much she learned about magic and it’s capabilities, there was always one more marvel to discover it seemed. Anna once again lowered the tone in a slightly sultry fashion.

“I recall it having a very nice second half…”

Elsa felt herself warming up at the memory, to say nothing of the not so subtle kisses and licks along her neck and collar. Elsa gasped briefly.

“Anna… please… later, my love. We are already very late for our lessons, and I do not feel like explaining new bruising on my neck to our teacher.”

Elsa could hear the pout, as well as the gentle sigh, as Anna rested her head on her chest for a moment.

“Fine, but I am so going to not hold back on our date, dear sister…”

Elsa gulped reflexively, wondering where the confidence she felt in her dreams had fled to now she was awake.

\-----------

They were only somewhere around 15 minutes late for their magical lesson and the Magician was waiting on a stool in the south wing, legs crossed and arms folded, although his grin betrayed him. The tone of amusement carried through to his attempts to admonish the pair of royals for their tardiness.

“I see your royal majesties found something more diverting to do than study magic, don't worry, I shan't ask what it was.”

Elsa felt a brief worm of worry, her mentor was annoyingly perceptive at the best of times, on the other hand she had no real reason to fear him either. Could she trust him with their secret? How would she even know? That aside, Elsa had other things to ask questions about.

“I have a question for you, can two people share the same dream?” Elsa asked, her eyes flicking to Anna, her sister’s face a happy unreadable mask.

“Rare, very rare actually. There are a few powerful Oneiromancers in the world who would be capable of organising such a feat, I assume however you are asking about Anna’s dark secret hmm?”

The Magicians face was a picture of amusement, as Elsa suddenly felt her sister squirm uncomfortably at her side, her voice failing miserably to disguise her emotions.

“Ahaha, I havn’t got any secrets, no siree. Just little plain ole Anna over here, I never did any magic at all.”

Elsa gave her an appraising glance as Anna withered slightly, a look of goodnatures embarrassment on her face. The magician laughed, before needling her faintly.

“Not even with a certain blue fairy? Did you wish upon a star by any chance? That is her usual Modus Operandi.”

Anna huffed briefly.

“Fine! I admit it, a couple of months ago I wished on a giant blue shooting star I saw, it was so pretty. I wished to be able to help Elsa with her nightmares and it… yeah. It worked though right?”

Elsa gawped at the implication. Everything clicked into place. All of her nightmares over the last two months… every dream, the strange incident a couple of days ago…

“We’ve been sharing the same dreams for two months?!” She exclaimed. “We... with the… and the… WHAT?”

Anna looked rather chastised, but defiantly stood her ground, standing on one leg in the “Tadaa” pose.

“Surprise! I guess...“

Elsa looked faintly horrified, as Anna looked rather crestfallen.

“Look, it wasn’t like I could just up and say, “Hey Elsa by the way we’re sharing dreams now, so don’t keep kissing me like that, even though I’ve decided I kinda like it.”, I mean you would have thought I was a nut.”

Elsa dragged her mortified expression over towards her mentor who was grinning at them both, clearly enjoying himself immensely.

“Oh dear, I think I need to be somewhere else, I suspect the griffon needs shoveling out again, do excuse me.”

Chuckling to himself the strange little man waltzed over to his large leather bound bag, cracked it open and, without a care in the world climbed in. He fit easily somehow, and disappeared completely, the sound of echoing feet on stone rolling out of the open mouth of the large bag. Elsa shook her head gently at the strangeness, and turned back to Anna who cut her off before she could speak.

“Yes, he knows about the dreams. Actually he knows about how I feel about you as well it just… slipped out I suppose.”

Anna was speaking so calmly, as though this was the most normal conversation in the world and Elsa needed to sit quickly for fear of being overwhelmed, Anna rushed to her side, face a picture of concern.

“Hey Elsa, are you ok?”

“No. Not really.”

Elsa’s voice was bitter with anger and fear, and Anna was brought up short, fear etched on her face.

“Wh… Wha-”

“What do you think Anna? You… my dreams? Really? So every time for the last few months that I dreamed about… that… with you, we were actually doing it? You… I mean. You took my virginity! In a dream! And you _knew_ that it was me, and I had no idea! I thought it was a fun fantasy, a simple dream!”

Anna was backing away, shaking her head slowly, licks of flame appearing on her hands and arms.

“No… nono… no I.”

Anna was staring at her hands, her expression horrified.

“But you persuaded me, seduced me even. And I had no idea! And then, you _tell someone_? Without asking me first, without asking for my consent or permission? What were you thinking? He could have told anyone, Anna! Anyone!”

Anna broke down in tears, curled into the foetal position on the floor, rolling waves of heat crashing off of her. Elsa’s fury calmed slightly, although she found herself breathing far too rapidly and her head began to spin. Elsa stumbled off the chair, ignoring the heat and fire and bundling Anna into a hug. The flames seemed not to be burning her this time, although several other things in the lab were smouldering.

“It’s ok Anna. It’s going to be ok.”

Elsa’s fury had calmed to a dull fire, which was rapidly being paved over by concern for Anna and guilt for having hurt her so badly. A brief feeling of elation at seeing Anna cry coursed through Elsa, leaving her almost immediately feeling sick with guilt. Elsa cradled her sister, rocking her from side to side, making soothing noises. There would be time for her to be angry later, right now Anna needed her to be strong.

It took a good five minutes for Anna to calm down, her hysterical sobbing calming down to a rather adorable case of the hiccups, and the random patches of fire around the kitchen extinguished themselves one at a time.

“Els… I am sorry… So sorry.” Anna croaked out, burying her face in Elsa’s lap.

“Me too Anna. About… ugh. I suppose I could never have expected our lives to be simple, and our love is always going to be difficult in it’s own way.”

Elsa stroked Anna’s coppery braids, still angry but pleased to find it fading, if slowly. Anna’s voice was mournful and filled with regret.

“I didn't mean to… I mean. I never would have done anything if I had known. If… I just didn't think.”

Elsa could not stop the tears herself, and she pulled Anna up into a full body hug as they cried together.

“I would have said yes.” Elsa whispered. “If I had known, if you had asked. I would have said yes. Why…” She pulled herself up short, silencing the thought before it finished.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry” Anna was repeating over and over, the words blurring together.

The Ice Queen turned the situation over in heart and her head, trying to find the resolution, She felt betrayed, true, but Anna had been earnest, and she had not truly been forced, even if there was subterfuge involved. This was something they could move past, they had to.

 _I can’t live without you_ Elsa admitted privately to herself.

She took a deep breath.

“Anna. I… I forgive you. I am going to be angry for a few days, but never doubt that I still love you, understand?”

Anna nodded into Elsa’s shoulder, as Elsa haltingly continued, her heart still a jumbled mess.

“You didn't know you were doing anything wrong, and now you do know you aren't going to do anything like that again right?”

Anna pulled back a moment, her expression mortified and blotchy from catastrophic crying. 

“No! God no!”

Elsa gave her a tentative smile, her own crying starting to dry.

“Then we have done everything that can be done, no? I… There is no point me telling you off, and no point you holding on to this. Let us just chalk it up to a mistake and… move on. Together.”

Anna nodded, biting her lip, a look of uncertainty and trepidation crossing her face.

“Can… can I kiss you? I understand if you don’t want to.”

Elsa laughed briefly, her tears banished by Anna’s touching sweetness.

“Of course my love. I give you permission.”

The kiss was salty and brief, Anna clumsily, desperately seeking confirmation of her sister's love, and Elsa obliged, her own anger and pain temporarily forgotten in the ecstasy of finally being able to kiss her beloved.

They took another few minutes to compose themselves, before standing to assess the damage. The plush chairs were ruined, the spiderweb of cotton threading in the corner was a smouldering scrapwork of paper husks on the floor and several of the heavy rugs were definitely beyond repair. Elsa tentatively walked over to the bag of secrets, leaning over the opening.

The aperture revealed a ladder leading down into the bag, the interiour looking for all the world like the castle dungeons, with a sturdy wooden ladder leading down into the stonework. A set of honest to goodness torches provided a shadowy illumination. The slightly shaken young ice mage could hear the scrape of a shovel, as well as a low rumbling animal noise and some loud clicks. Anna popped into her peripheral vision, also peering down into the bag.

“Whoa. That wasn't there last time…”

A faint blush accompanied the statement, as Anna realised that she had not had permission to look last time, nor this time for that matter. Elsa cleared her throat, trying her best to project her voice into the space.

“Ah, Magician? We are done with our… chat..?”

She trailed off, looking at her sister. Anna nodded mutely.

“Alright, your Majesty! I will be right up!”

Right up, in this instance apparently involved a brief wash and change of boots before the day's lesson could begin in earnest. The mood was subdued, as the Magician climbed out of his bag and surveyed the damage to his laboratory. His face fell when he looked at the burned remnants of the string and card ensemble in the corner of the room.

“Oh well. I can rebuild it I suppose, shame about the chairs though.”

The magician smiled thinly, his face resigned as he surveyed the destruction.

“I suppose we are sitting on the grass today, come along you two, some more lessons on how to maintain control when emotions are running high I feel.”

The rest of the magic lesson passed in a hazy blur, neither Elsa nor Anna quite able to look at the other. Elsa was almost halfway back to her room before she realised that her mentors parting words that day were about neither magic, nor meditation.

“Take some time apart, a day or so, remember the good things and the love, then come back together and apologise. Remember to forgive each other, but also yourselves and it will all work out, you’ll see.”

Elsa slept poorly that night, in a bed which felt too large and desperately cold.

\-----------

Anna stared at the note that had been delivered along with breakfast, her sisters impeccable handwriting marred by tears on the page and the subtle marks of blotting paper. The events of yesterday were playing over and over in her mind, Elsa’s anger and fury at… what she had done. Every time the memory came back it brought with it a dull copy of the sickening emotion associated with it, the clawing horror and guilt. 

_”Anna,_  
_What I said yesterday, how I reacted, was not how I would have liked._  
_I do not want to blame you for what you did, it was clear that you never intended to hurt me or mislead me._  
_I truly believe you when you said that you would not have acted as you did if you had known._  
_I also need you to know that, truthfully, I enjoyed myself every step of the way._  
_There is nothing that I would have changed about those moments, knowing what I know now._  
_It was still a bit shocking, finding out as I did, and I do need some space to think, to be alone with my thoughts._  
_Nothing has changed between us, you are still my little firebug._  
_I look forward to our next outing together and that delicious treat you promised._

_With Love,_  
_Your most apologetic sister,_  
_Elsa”_

The note helped.

It helped a lot. And so Anna spent a slow morning in her chambers, brushing her hair, going through her wardrobe and discarding old dresses as well as some initial planning for this blasted ball which they still had not managed to quash. It was months away, yet for an event like this it may as well have been tomorrow.

Every time the memories returned unbidden, Anna read the note again, and remembered the good things about her sister.

She remembered the way Elsa used to sneak them out to play when they were younger, coating half of the castle in ice and snow just to please her. The memories were both old and impossibly new at the same time, as though she had only experienced them yesterday, but was forced to remember them through a filter.

Anna remembered the way that Elsa used to have a maid sneak an extra chocolate into her room just before bedtime when she was 15. They had not seen each other in years by that point, but Anna had found out it was Elsa’s doing nonetheless. Somehow Elsa had found out that she was sad, and suddenly, there it was, a chocolate truffle on a little plate by her nightstand.

Elsa’s smile, her laugh, her warmth and her soft smell. All of these things were precious to Anna, things she cherished as easily as breathing. Her sister, who cared so deeply about others that she would sacrifice everything she had to help the people of Arendelle without a thought, who would consign herself to a life of pain and suffering if it meant saving even one of her subjects from the machinations of someone like Eyjolf.

Forgiving Elsa was never the problem for Anna, her battle was always going to be to forgive herself.

She read the note again, a faint smile on her face.

\-----------

Elsa for her part, threw herself into her work. Tearing through reports, hammering out missives and getting caught up on paperwork at a blistering speed. Anything was better than confronting her emotions right now.

No matter how many times she tried to put it out of her mind, Elsa knew that she had made Anna cry. Intentionally. She had felt angry, confused, and… used, in a way. She had _wanted_ Anna to cry. She had meant every word that day, but she would take it all back, every last second, just to see her sunshine again. To see Anna laugh, to see her smile, and dance, and sing.

Yes, Anna had taken advantage of her, but Elsa found she didn’t really care. Of course she would have consented had she known, but… Anna was oblivious, and she always would be. It was part of who she was, part of her that Elsa had always loved and admired. Anna’s perfect image in Elsa’s mind had been sullied slightly, and she hated it.

But right now the person she hated the most, was herself. 

Pushing her thoughts deep down, Elsa tried to focus on the reports in front of her, flooding her mind with facts, figures and information.

The report on the table in front of her shifted briefly, tugged sharply away from her. Elsa looked up, into a pair of large rodent eyes in a small furry face. She recognised the Magician's familiar, although right now her ears were flat out sideways and she was doing an odd dance. She was, quite clearly grumpy, thumping her foot repeatedly on the table and jerking the paper away from Elsa.

“How did you get in here?” Elsa faintly marvelled. In response the ball of fluff hopped straight through her inkwell as though it did not exist.

“Right. Mostly imaginary, I forgot. I need to get this work done, little fuzzy.”

Thump thump thump, shuffle shuffle.

Elsa glared at the rodent.

“I can’t spend all day mooning and feeling sorry for myself, I have a kingdom to run.”

The grey herbivore made a grouchy noise like a deflating balloon, tearing the sheet of paper away from the Ice Queen. Elsa sat back in her chair, sighing with her head in her hands.

_Typical meddling sidhe. I could wring his neck._

“Fine! I admit it, I’m hiding in my work. Now you can hop off back to your master, and tell him you found me out.”

The now rather stressed Ice Queen laid her head on her desk. A soft nuzzling sensation preceded a tiny nose being placed in her ear. Elsa gently stroked the soft creature, a puff of frustration escaping her lips.

“This is hard. How do you forgive yourself? I… I was a bitch. Anna… Oh I don’t know.”

Elsa scooped the furry little creature up and buried her face in her soft fur, the delicate tickling sensation distracting her for a moment.

“I don’t know how I feel anymore Kitty. I just want this to be done. I want to move past this. I want… I want Anna.”

Her resolve hardened at the admission and she found her courage mounting. Suddenly the world didn’t look so bleak. She could get through this, they were going to be ok.

\-----------

After an afternoon filled with soul searching, self reflection and facing some hard truths about herself Elsa had felt prepared enough to face the next day. Thus, she now found herself standing outside of the door to Anna’s room with her heart in her mouth, one hand frozen a second before a knock. Minute after minute passed as Elsa found herself frozen, the strange nerves from the other day back in force.

_This is maddening, what am I so afraid of, it’s just Anna. Sweet little Anna. She is just my sister._

The image of all the things she _could_ be doing with Anna right now filled her mind. Anna’s lithe nude figure writhing in the morning sun, her intoxicating breasts supple and heavy in Elsa’s hands, the electric taste of her kiss causing flames of passion to dance on her lips.

_Ah. Yes, that would be why. Stop being a wimp, and knock on her door._

Knock Knock

The door opened before Elsa had even completed the second knock, to reveal Anna standing there, a gleeful expression on her face and a hairbrush in her hand. Elsa’s face lit up with a grin at her sister's gleeful expression and they fell instantly into a hug, falling over each other to apologise first, a fight elsa won using a finger to Anna’s lips.

“Anna. Let’s go inside.”

Once safely inside, Elsa pulled her younger sister into a deep kiss, letting Anna’s hands roam freely for a minute. The sensations were intoxicating, her taste, her scent, the delicious feeling of the redhead’s hands roaming across her stomach, buttocks and shoulder blades. It was an overwhelming medley of bliss and dark passion that threatened to overwhelm her thoughts. As their tongues danced, Anna moaned, a throaty passionate call for more. Elsa broke the kiss, gasping for air.

“I love you so much Anna, and I am so, so sorry for… everything.”

Anna rested her forehead on Elsa’s breastbone, panting lightly.

“It’s ok. I… should have talked to you. I screwed up. Again.”

Elsa did her very best to squeeze every last inch of air out of her sister for a moment, before releasing her to breathe freely.

“I forgive you my love and… I am trying to forgive myself.”

Anna nodded, reaching up for another brief but intimate kiss.

“I forgive you. And… I’m sorry, again. I’m trying to forgive myself too. But it’s hard.”

Elsa led her sister and lover over to her bed, kissing her gently into a reclining position before snuggling up next to her. Soft breathing was the only sound in the room as they lay in each other's arms, basking in their love. Elsa broke the silence.

“This is nice.”

Anna nodded lazily, drawing gentle patterns on her lovers arms and shoulder.

“It is. I want it to be like this all the time.”

Elsa shifted slightly, nuzzling into Anna’s side and breathing in her scent. The blonde’s voice was sleepy and faintly resigned.

“I do too, but… It can’t. Can it?”

Anna paused for a moment, before wrapping her arms and legs around her sister in a full body hug. Their eyes met, Anna’s face a picture of radiant happiness, her words defiant and supportive.

“The last time you said that, we changed things. We can do anything together, remember?”

“That is true. You always were better at believing in the future than I ever was. So… what do we do?”

Anna leaned in for a kiss, their mouths dancing briefly, as Elsa marvelled at the swell of love in her heart and the sensation of delightful happiness that accompanied the freedom to express how she truly felt. Anna’s reply was husky, but perhaps surprisingly still mostly on track.

“I want to tell everyone, Elsa. I don’t want to hide… but.” She paused, capturing Elsa’s chin in a hand. “We gotta deal with the duke, put him in his place, make him step down, something.”

Elsa blushed slightly at the unusual laser focus on her face.

“I agree. If we were to reveal the nature of our relationship with Eyjolf still at large it would be a disaster.”

Freckles mapped the curve of the redheads smile.

“Let’s not think about him, not now. I wanna talk about us”

Anna leaned in and kissed her nose, then the bridge of elsa’s forehead. The elder girl shivered at the contact, her voice slightly husky.

”I’m sorry. I just love you so much, and I don’t want anything to tear us apart, not anymore.”

Anna giggled briefly, pondering out loud.

”We could always run away. Worst case, we just up and leave right? Think Rapunzel would harbour a pair of fugitive lesbians?”

”You two are cut from the same cloth, I have no doubt she would put us up in a heartbeat. But is that what you want? To lose your home, the people of Arendelle?”

Anna shook her head, lowering her voice to a warm whisper she buried her face in Elsa’s hair.

”You smell like home. You are my home, Elsa, wherever you are, wherever we go. That is home.”

_Oh._

”I love you, Anna. That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

For a brief shining moment all of the world was simple and filled with sunshine. They were here, together at last and it felt wonderful. The rest of the day passed in a blissed out haze for the both of them, as they smiled, laughed and giggled their way through meetings, paperwork and meals. Their infectiously happy attitude spread across the castle, with Kai and Gerda both grinning as though christmas had come early, and the other servants chattering happily at the lifted mood.

\-----------

With the return of the giant messenger eagle from the King of Norway some of the tension around the security of the young royals had been lifted. The reply had been a furious condemnation of the counts actions, as well as a promise to chastise him mightily and swiftly. Even with these reassurances Captain Aran was not keen to allow the royals to leave the palace, but Elsa put her foot down again arguing that they could not effectively administer Arendelle from only within the castle. 

And so it was that the early evening found the Queen and Princess walking into town, arm in arm, nodding and smiling at the enthusiastic citizenry. Their first destination was The Restaurant, the only establishment of its kind in Arendelle. The Restaurant was exactly what it’s namesake implied, a pure eatery specialising in frankish cuisine, staffed by a fussy chef known only as Pierre. It had opened ten years back, attracting equal parts fascinated attention and faint derision from the traditional and slightly rustic citizens. Despite that slightly rocky start The Restaurant had done steady business over the years and remained a popular location to go for special occasions.

The sisters were led in through a side door by Pierre himself, who promptly showed them to a covered table on an elegant terrace. The withy pergola over the space providing a green blanket against the elements, and a shield of privacy for the diners. Once again Elsa found herself faintly nervous, desperate to impress her sister, and concerned that she would find some way to ruin everything. As they sat at the tiny table, the odd little frank fussing about them, Elsa couldn’t help but meet Anna’s eyes and blush slightly with nervous excitement. She had not been totally certain why she had included that last line in her note to Anna, perhaps in a moment of mad whimsy, or perhaps her own desires had gotten the better of her. Regardless of the cause, she suspected how this night was going to end, and she was both terrified and excited at the prospect. Everything they had done up to this point was, whilst certainly slightly deviant, still something they could technically walk back from.

The soft caress of delicate flute music and a lute drifted across the courtyard from somewhere nearby but hidden, and the soft lanterns overhead lit everything with a soft pink blush tone. Elsa found herself losing count at the number of gorgeously romantic things Anna had done for her in the last month. They lost one another in each other's eyes for a while, until a fastidiously turned out waiter arrived with their Hors D’oeuvres, White wine and garden herb roasted oysters. Anna maintained eye contact as she picked up the unfortunate bivalve and slurped the whole thing down in one go.

_Oysters are an aphrodisiac. You little minx._

Elsa did likewise, shuddering slightly as the initial punch of seawater, dulled by the wine and herbs. The aftertaste however was decidedly pleasant in a way that Elsa could not quite identify, and despite the horrid texture she wasn’t averse to trying more in future. Anna broke the quiet of the warm night air.

“I always wanted to bring someone here. I’m glad it could be you.”

Anna’s smile was all Elsa needed in that moment, even breathing air seemed somehow unnecessary as she struggled with her reply.

“I had never dared to hope.” Elsa chose her words carefully, whilst they appeared to be alone they could not risk saying anything less than sisterly. “I am sorry I held out for so long.”

Anna smiled as the soup was delivered by their immaculately dressed server, the light scent of Artichokes and Avocado filling the air from the beautiful miniature soup tureens. The food here was truly excellent and pleasingly exotic. They ate mostly in silence, stealing the occasional loving glance at one another. The light, rapid fire courses were delivered one, after the other, the royals crystal wine glasses never being allowed to dip below half filled.  
The fish course was Filet of Mackerel with Bercy sauce, the salad an "Eruca, Fig and Pine Nuts Medley" with a "Pan-Fried Foie Gras With Sauce Périgueux And Poached Egg" for the main.

By the time dessert was served the two young women were feeling decidedly rounder than when they had arrived. The cherry, honey and chocolate tart was, perhaps predictably, heart shaped and Elsa found herself looking up at Anna with a faintly guilty expression.

“Anna? I’m sorry we fought the last time. I never want to fight again.”

Anna gave her a shy smile in response, mouth half full of the delicious dessert already.

“It’s ok Els. I’m sorry I got so angry, well… no I’m not. But I am sorry I hurt you. I don’t ever want to do that again.”

Her beautiful dining companion nodded, her platinum braid twinkling in the soft light.

“Let’s call it settled then. Forgiven?”

Anna nodded enthusiastically shovelling another forkful of tart into her mouth. 

“Forgiven.”

They finished their meal together, and despite the table between them, in truth Elsa felt closer to Anna than ever before. She really did love her sister with all of her heart.

They were proceeding in a stately fashion back to the castle when Anna let slip her intentions for the second part of their date.

“So. I was thinking, you know that healing mud spring place? Out in Suthfjord? Mama took us there once before…” Anna briefly fell silent in memory as Elsa squeezed her hand reassuringly. “Anyway, I figured since we can’t go there and have a nice romantic evening, that I would bring it all here. I mean the north tower is empty after all.”

Elsa giggled gently, leaning her head towards Anna’s shoulder as they walked along.

“What did you do?” Elsa whispered.

Anna shared a conspiratorial grin, snuggling slightly into her older sister's side.

“I had them bring some of the spa to us. After all, it’s not like we are using the north tower for anything anymore.”

Elsa was a little perplexed. She remembered the trip to the natural spring which they had visited many years ago, one of her last happy memories of their time as a family. The town of Suthfjord was one of the only old roman style bathing sites in the entirety of Scandinavia, and the then young royal family had spent a blissful day out together in the walled town, visiting the freshwater river and nearby Spa. The town was one of the moderately wealthy Arendellian fiefdoms, with an ancient tradition of renowned healers and healthful waters, a mecca for individuals who needed to heal or simply relax. Elsa had a happy memory of their family visiting the mud springs, an area of Suthfjord known for the healing properties if it’s purportedly enchanted hot mud. The sensation was undeniably pleasant, and brought a warm glow to the otherwise uncertain young woman.

\-----------

The north tower had been converted to a bustling centre of activity by the time the young royals had returned. Half a dozen unfamiliar staff were bustling around the lower levels, hauling sacks, tables and boxes, watched by a stern looking older woman in a moderately expensive looking grey dress. The Magician was standing next to the unusual matronly woman, talking animatedly with her and occasionally observing samples of things being presented to the pair of them.

Anna led her sister over to the centre of the controlled chaos.

“Hihi! Madame Florry right?”

Anna beamed at the stern looking woman, who’s lightly lined face softened immediately when she realised who she was being addressed by. She curtsied politely before fetching a small bell from her belt and ringing it briefly but enthusiastically.

“Your Highness! And of course, your Majesty. Princess Anna, I have everything set up according to your specifications, although there was a slight delay as I am sure you can see, so the second floor is not yet ready.”

Anna shrugged, far too happy to be bothered by a mere delay, half of Arendelle could burn down right now without unduly affecting her mood.

_I’m sure it’ll get sorted in time._

“Hey it’s no problem. You want us to take a spin around the garden first?”

Madame Florry looked mortified at the suggestion, her matronly demeanor bristling at the clear attack on her abilities of organisation.

“Goodness no, Princess. The upper level is perfectly prepared and we are absolutely ready to receive you, please, feel free to go on up at your first convenience.”

Anna noticed Elsa looking at her in a quizzical fashion, an expression she had been wearing a lot recently. It usually meant Anna was doing something right… or something terribly wrong of course. Only one way to find out which.

Anna led her secret lover upstairs, the woman who meant more to her than life itself, eager to share her latest idea for a romantic evening. By the slowly escalating closeness Anna figured she was doing something right after all. Her sister was certainly smiling a lot. The gasp when they reached the third floor confirmed the redheads suspicions that this was a good idea.

The (now) top floor had been converted rather hastily into a warm private room with a hot herb brazier in the centre of the space, heating a collection of rosemary and lemongrass, filling the area with a delicious warm scent. The walls were covered with expensive paper screens and hanging drapes, the shutters closed against the night air. Paper lanterns lit the area with a soft glow. A pair of well dressed young women wearing pale green cotton dresses stood next to a couple of wooden tables, thick soft looking cushions creating some kind of makeshift bed. It wasn’t quite like the pictures Anna had seen, but it was a nice approximation, there was even a large broad leafed plant thing in the corner in a giant pot.

Anna dragged Elsa behind one of the changing screens her happy excitement overriding her ability to think.

_Change, robes and slippers, then massage! Yay!_

Anna started stripping immediately, after spying a robe hanging from a stand of some kind.

“Come on Elsa! Hurry up!”

She heard a slightly strangled noise from behind her as she was bending forwards to pull her skirts down.

_Oh. Right. My butt. Sis likes looking at my… Yep._

Anna glanced back over her shoulder, noticing Elsa’s ramrod straight posture, her expression of carefully maintained mortification and the rising blush, and under it all, the absolute expression of carnal interest. Elsa’s eyes were straining, looking everywhere in the small space except right at Anna’s jewel, she gave it an experimental wiggle just to check. Elsa let out a barely suppressed whimper, and blushed a deep crimson, eyes shooting anywhere but there. Straightening as she stepped out of her underwear Anna put the robe on quickly, winking at her sister as she strolled out into the room. There would, after all, be plenty of time for that later, especially after all of those aphrodisiacs she had loaded Elsa with earlier in the evening. She didn't even know half of those things were aphrodisiacs, but the books had been pretty clear, and the chef was more than happy to oblige her slightly strange requests.

_Good thing too, because I hate Arugula. Hope it worked though._

Anna tentatively laid down on the bed as directed by the servant in front of her, her head gently supported in place by a set of wonderfully soft lavender scented pillows. She heard Elsa pad over gently next to her, and the soft rustling of towels as she laid down. The Massage was divine and Anna couldn’t help herself. She moaned. She groaned. She Unf’d, and Ahh’d and Oohed. She was pleased to hear a few similar noises from her lover as well, Elsa must have been truly enjoying herself to have let herself go so much, and the thought made Anna proud.

After the wonderful back massage, the skilled women moved onto a scalp massage and Anna wasn’t above admitting that she lost consciousness with pleasure a few times. When she finally came around, her nose filled with pleasant scents and her ears filled with the soft pop’s of a light fire the young fire mage sat up unsteadily. Elsa appeared to have turned into a semi conscious pancake, a blissed out smile plastered on her face and a faint snore escaping her lips. 

Anna waved off the two servants, before slithering off of the bed, fixing her robe. Waiting until they were properly alone she leaned in to Elsa’s scandalously tempting pale pink lips. Pressing her lips to her sisters was a darkly wonderful experience, the waves of illicit pleasure shooting straight to her womanhood. It was just as well she wasn’t wearing any underwear when Elsa moaned into the kiss and slipped her tongue into Anna’s mouth.

_Yup. This is definately what I want out of life._

Oh god, it was so sinfully good. Elsa just tasted _perfect_. She was heaven and Anna dove right in, losing herself in the kiss until she was sure her sister was completely awake. The sound of want and need in her own voice faintly surprised even the copper haired young woman.

“Hey sexy. Want to go get round two? We can sleep later…”

Elsa nodded sleepily.

“Sounds lovely. What exactly _is_ round two?”

Anna giggled impishly.

“Oh you’re going to love it. It’s filthy.”

Elsa’s eyebrows hit the roof briefly, as Anna laughed and helped her to her feet. Of course this meant that she got a full frontal eyeful of her alabaster sister.

_OH MY WANT. Yep. Definitely Gay._

Anna’s eyes raked inexorably downwards, past the curve of Elsa’s flawlessly sculpted neck, her delicate collarbones framing her body perfectly as a cascade of undone platinum hair flowed across her shoulders. Elsa’s pert breasts rose and fell with her breathing, the perfectly presented pale mounds topped with an elegant light pink nipple apiece. The left was ever so slightly larger than the right Anna faintly noted, although no less wonderful for that. She drunk in the sight of her sisters taut tummy, the obvious secret strength of her core having been toned and strengthened by the last months worth of exercise and training. At last, her eyes alighted upon the whimsical tufts of platinum hair decorating the blonde womans delicate mound, barely concealing the edges of Elsa’s sex, a faint hint of a bump indicating a place Anna would dearly like to touch, to kiss, to ravage.

She noticed Elsa was shaking gently, her skin prickled and her face flush.

_Oh. Right. Staring._

Anna was about to apologise as she met Elsa’s eyes, but found her sister pressing a finger to her mouth. The bottom dropped out of her world as Elsa slid back up onto the table, her eyes glancing to the door, nervousness writ large across her face, and she slid her flawless legs apart. Anna got a clear, unobstructed view.

The picture in the book was fairly accurate, although Elsa’s was neater around the edges, her clitoris a bit more obvious. It was fair to say that “beautiful” wasn’t _exactly_ the right word to describe it, but it was perfect all the same and Anna felt herself drawn towards her glistening jewel. Elsa noticed her action and stopped her gently with her hands, closing her legs and wrapping her robe calmly whilst whispering softly, although Anna could detect a note of panic in her voice.

“Later Anna. If… if you want that is. Not here, not with an open door.”

Anna’s heart exploded with joy, and she crushed Elsa with a fierce hug, her face a pure smile of raw emotional bliss.


	17. Garden of Roses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, for some well overdue smut. SMUUUUUT.
> 
> Is there plot? Maybe. Some. A bit.

The second half of the date it appeared, took place downstairs, where a pair of comfortable stools had been set up in another warm looking room. Several ceramic buckets of what Elsa could only guess at as being mud were blopping happily in a large hot bath of water, itself filled with… seaweed? On the other side of the room there was a large bath of ice, also attended by a woman in a cotton green dress. 

Elsa was honestly still high as a kite after her stunt earlier. She had been afraid that Anna might have decided that she looked disgusting, or been repelled by Elsa’s bold invitation for her to look. The reality had been rather different, and she was still riding high from her sister's keen response. Faintly giggling she led Anna over to the seats in the middle of the room, unable to stop herself from surreptitiously shooting her younger sister bedroom eyes. Anna, rather enthusiastically smiled back, winking seductively.

It was a mud bath. Elsa had spent almost her entire life trying to stay as clean as possible, and having someone cover her body in mud intentionally was a bizarre experience. The glass of cold mineral water was an unusual touch, but pleasant after the hot massage earlier.

“What, exactly do you intend to do with that…?” Elsa asked archly as one of the servants approached her with a large strip of what looked for all the world like seaweed. Anna giggled from the chair opposite.

“It’s ok Els, it’s a seaweed wrap. It’s crazy good for your skin apparently. Relax.”

The Queen of Arendelle looked dubious but acquiesced to the strange treatment, shivering at the cold and faintly slimy feel of the plant being wrapped around her arms over the mud. Wrap after wrap was added, as well as a soft towel to act as a temporary bra. Glancing at Anna, Elsa almost dissolved into fits of giggles, her sister looked ridiculous her face a mask of dark brown mud and dangling green weeds. For her part Anna mock held her composure, one hand splayed over her heart in the classic pose of a wounded noble, a single eyebrow raised. Her composure ran for about three seconds before she joined Elsa in a giggling fit.

The rest of this portion of the date was a wonderful and silly therapeutic experience, with another head massage and a foot massage as well. They washed the mud off in a large bath on the ground floor, a moment of privacy for the two young women. As Elsa climbed out of the bath, the last of the mud washed off she experienced the utterly delightful sensation of Anna all but launching her glistening nude body at her. Turning to face her younger sister in the rather unexpected assault, elsa felt a trill of sensation wash over her as their bodies slipped and slid across one other. Elsa felt her breasts squishing and sliding over Anna’s smaller sensual mounds, and she felt a shot of heat and need launch itself through her stomach towards her core.

“Ah, Anna-mph”

Elsa’s attempts at communication were silenced by a hungry pair of lips and a questing tongue. Having a wet, nude and sexually hungry Anna rubbing her body all over her was Elsa’s new favourite sensation, all thoughts of satin sheets, or paltry masturbation blown from her mind. One of her sister's hands crept and tickled it’s way downwards, causing Elsa’s muscles to crawl in painful pleasure. Elsa broke the kiss gasping out a moan.

“W-wait…”

Elsa shot a nervous glance at the door, before turning back to Anna.

“I think we need to get back to our chambers first… I might not be able to be quiet enough.”

Elsa whispered, taking note of Anna shaking faintly and her teeth starting to chatter.

“Plus, you are freezing. Let’s get you dry.”

Anna nodded briefly, a dreamy look plastered on her face. The pair grabbed robes and headed back towards the changing room on the top floor, finding another pair of glass of water, as well as some raw salted salmon vol au vents. Anna began changing into her underwear whilst Elsa paused for a moment, regarding her gorgeous younger sister, as she climbed into the soft red lace. A hand on her shoulder gave her pause when she picked up her dress bodice.

A swirling twinkle of enchanted ice magic, and a warm looking elegant dress formed around Anna, a pair of warm puffed sleeves and a double layered bodice providing warmth. Anna’s eyes shone with wonder as the icy twinkles swirled and folded around her arms and legs, a large pleated skirt completing the ensemble.

“Oh Elsa it’s perfect. How is your ice always so warm?”

Elsa frowned briefly, before shrugging and creating her own identical copy.

“I don’t really know to be honest. I just want it to be warm and… it is.” Elsa grinned briefly and leaned in. “Also, I have complete control over whether the dress…. Exists or not.”

Anna shivered with anticipation, taking Elsa by the hand and leading her sister down the stairs, grinning like a fool.

\-----------

The door to Elsa’s bedroom closed gently, and the blonde ice queen could hear nothing over the sound of her heart beating in her ears. Her excitement and slight terror crowded out the sound of her feet on the tiles of her room and the sound of her sister whispering seductive nothings into her ears. Honestly, as much as she had thought about this, she rather felt like she was about to vomit. Elsa stared at the bed, a sense of creeping dread starting to rise.

\-----------

Anna was mildly concerned. She was coming down slightly from her state of drenched excited arousal, as she watched Elsa’s face turn paler than usual. Her sister had been acting a little off since they reached the top of the stairs to the royal suite, and now she was frozen staring at the bed.

“Hey… Elsa? Are you ok?”

It appeared as though Elsa was no longer home. Anna waved a hand in front of Elsa’s face briefly, earning a startled jump from her sister.

“Ah.. .hi.” Elsa stammered. “Sorry.”

Anna hugged Elsa softly, a chaste comforting reassurance. Her inner thoughts were in turmoil.

_Has she changed her mind? Maybe she doesn’t want to do this? DId I do something wrong? Did I push her too fast? Is she just humouring me, and now she has realised she doesn’t want to do this?_

Elsa kissed Anna on her forehead, her voice slightly shaky.

“I’m nervous. Terrified actually. What If I do something wrong, or hurt you? What if my magic gets out of control? What if…”

Elsa paused, trailing off. Anna kissed her. It seemed like the right response.

It was.

“What if I’m terrible in bed.” Elsa admitted in a quiet voice, a shy smile on her face.

Anna’s heart swelled, and her happy feeling of sexual arousal and playful need returned in full force, her need to feel, touch and taste every inch of her sister a burning need in the pit of her stomach.

“You won’t be, trust me. After all, you already know what I like.”

Anna began gently propelling Elsa towards the bed, kissing her neck and clavicle, her hands steadying her sister's hips. Elsa moaned into the kiss, a smile returning to her face. Anna felt the swirl of magic as the dress under her hands evaporated into nothing more than a cold breeze curling across her hands. She grinned into the kiss, letting her hands roam across Elsa’s firm breasts for the first time, revelling in the feel of her plump breasts and rapidly stiffening nipples. Elsa’s shuddering response was worth all of the waiting. The sensation of a dress made of ice being dissolved around her was a titillating experience, the freezing swirl of icy cold stiffening her nipples and briefly quenching the wet heat between her legs. Anna was definitely going to need another set of pants after this.

\-----------

Emboldened, Elsa dismissed the dress Anna was wearing, the heavy need between her legs growing almost painful. She was still nervous, but the incredible feelings of tight pleasure she was experiencing from her breasts overwhelmed her fear of doing anything wrong. Using the last of her conscious effort Elsa regally flung an outstretched hand towards the door into her bedroom, encasing the frame in a solid chunk of ice several feet thick.

She then reached down with both hands and gripped her sisters delicious firm derriere, squeezing hard as she reached down and bit into her neck gently. According to the book it could be quite pleasurable. From the noise Anna made, it looked as though it had been right again. Then Anna bit her back and her world went blank with pleasure for a moment.

Elsa came to, flopping backwards onto her bed, Anna crawling forwards over her, eyes flashing like a predator, hips swaying lethally. Elsa caught glimpses of flames faintly rippling through the air above her sisters back, gusts of air rocking across the room as the warm ruby gem hung from her neck, obscuring her swaying breasts. Her blue cotton panties provided absolutely no resistance to the amorous fire mage, as Anna simply disintegrated them with a contemptuous wave. Pulling the pointless fabric away and tossing the smouldering remains into the water jug by the bedside, Elsa was laid bare and blushing.

Continuing to take charge Anna sat up abruptly, straddling Elsa’s waist, as she hooked a thumb under the waistband on her knickers and seared them off, her thumbs passing through the fabric like a knife through butter. Her ravaged underwear was rapidly discarded, following their unfortunate sibling, revealing her flame red pubic hair. They fell to kissing passionately again, Anna’s hands groping an cupping at Elsa’s breasts in a desperately needy fashion, as her sister ran her hands across her spine and hips, pulling her close. Anna slid along her sister's leg and Elsa marvelled at the soft dampness of her sisters sex sliding deliciously along her thigh, the freckled young woman's leg coming to a gentle rest pressed against the pale blonde’s sex. Elsa’s hips began bucking gently without her input, the thrilling sensation of her lips and clitoris sliding softly across her sister's leg, the shooting sensation of pleasure robbing her of thought.

Anna’s voice was exquisitely husky, with an unmistakeable tremble.

“Touch me… please?”

Elsa gulped briefly, her fears over hurting her sister sliding briefly to the front of her mind before she pushed them away tentatively reaching out. Anna’s response made Elsa’s world.

“Ooohhhhhfuckyes.”

Anna’s entire body managed a writhing shudder as Elsa’s tentative fingers brushed her warm wetness, her progress unsteady and nervous, but apparently welcomed and wanted. Elsa barely had time to register her sister's fingers brushing across her pubic hair before her world turned white hot with passion. Somewhere along the way she collected herself enough to seek out Anna’s clitoris with her middle finger whilst pulling herself into a half sitting position, roughly and messily taking her lovers mouth.

Elsa came. It was sudden, powerful and lasting, as she flopped back onto the bed, Anna’s motion with her hand not letting up as wave after wave of pleasure rocked into her. It was as well the royal chambers were soundproofed because Elsa’s voice started loud and went from there, rapidly descending into incoherence.

“Anna! AAAAaaah!”

Elsa’s eyes fluttered open just in time to see Anna’s face contort into the most gorgeous expression as she brought herself off on Elsa’s leg, rubbing her sex desperately against her thigh, rocking faster and faster until she finally came with a satisfied noise. Anna flopped heavily into the sheets next to her, giggling lightly, one arm daintily snaked across her lover's torso.

“Better, Els?”

Elsa nodded dumbly, fireworks still arcing across her vision as she gathered Anna into her arms and simply hugged until her world stopped spinning. Anna gave a her a few minutes before lightly brushing a finger across her nipples, her dainty fingers tracing a figure eight over and around Elsa stiffening peaks. Elsa felt herself rising again, waves of tight need beginning to coil, hot and sticky in her abdomen.

Anna grinned wickedly.

“Ready for another round?”

\-----------

Anna raked her nails gently across Elsa’s flawlessly sculpted form, revelling in her moans and soft noises, the writhing motion of her clearly aroused body an absolute intoxicant. Her previous orgasm, whilst earth shattering was still not enough, not with a still naked Elsa _Right There_. There were so many things Anna still needed to try, and, that in mind she reached over and took one of her sisters nipples in her mouth, the pale pink nub a perfect feeling fit. The resulting moan of pleasure was music to the redheads ears, and she moved her other hand to the other breast, propping herself up on an elbow. With a pop she withdrew from Elsa’s nipple, planting wet kisses across her mounds and ribs, slowly working her way down. To her surprise Anna felt nervous as she kissed her way down towards her goal, what if she didn't like it? What if she was terrible? She paused just at the mound of Elsa’s sex and glanced down, gently teasing her legs apart to get a better view. It was just as sexy as the last time she saw it, and Anna took a deep breath, a musky warm comforting smell filling her nostrils and she dove in for a quick experimental lick, right on Elsa’s clitoris.

The shuddering scream of pleasure was certainly a nice response, and Anna found that there really wasn’t anything unpleasant about the taste or sensation. It was warm, ever so faintly salty like sweat, with a heady edge of musk and the scent of Elsa. She pressed her tongue into use, stroking irregular patterns across Elsa’s clit and entrance, occasionally pushing her tongue inside for a better taste. She heard tearing as the bedsheets give way, jagged shards of ice exploding outward briefly, forming a protective cage around them. Powerful, cream coloured thighs squeezed around her head, as she struggled to maintain control of Elsa’s bucking and thrashing hips. She wasn’t sure if Elsa had orgasmed several times already, or if this was some kind of giant mega orgasm or what, but she seemed to be building towards something at least, and so Anna continued her staccato pattern of kisses, licks and faint suckings.

A series of semi coherent screams suggested to Anna that Elsa was dangerously close to something explosively wonderful.

“Anna! Anna! AAAANNNAAAA!”

The squeezing on her head escalated to painful levels for a moment, as Elsa’s whole body stiffened and arched, a howling scream of pleasure escaping her lips. The gorgeous woman bucked and heaved against Anna’s tongue, subsiding into a whimpering pile of pleasure as her muscles gave out. Anna withdrew, her face wet, panting with need.

_Damn. She really enjoyed that. Gods she is so beautiful. I gotta have more._

Anna scooted herself back towards her sister, her legs sliding over Elsa’s, bringing their sexes together. The soft, warm pleasurable sensation of their secret jewels grinding together caused Anna to gasp. This was a warm private heaven, just her and her sister, wrapped in dark sin, awash in pleasure. Anna rubbed and ground, her speed rising as she built her pleasure, Elsa shrieking and whining in pleasure, lost in some inner world of agony and ecstasy. Anna reached out with every sense she had, touch, smell, taste and magic, feeling towards the gorgeous woman before her. She could see the building orgasm in her sister, a wavering energy to which she joined her own, their pleasures rising in lockstep as their cores wound around one another, Anna’s frantic movement leading the pace.

Their orgasm was a wonderful experience, Anna’s mind going blank as she felt closer to her sister than ever before, her last thoughts one of incredible love before her world exploded into stars.

\-----------

Elsa’s eyes fluttered open, her bedroom ceiling at a strange angle. Her body felt light, tingly and sore. A faint breeze reminded her that she was naked.

_Anna_

Elsa rolled over lazily, noticing Anna was definitely unconscious, a very content smile on her face, as her perfect breasts rose and fell slowly with her breaths. She glowed faintly, The afterglow of lovemaking suiting her perfectly, her magical aura faintly visible in the soft half darkness granting her an otherworldly air. Elsa gathered her into a hug, faintly startled at how little strength she felt in her wobbly arms and legs, and wrapped a blanket around them both. A dark guilt began stalking the back of Elsa’s mind.

_Sinful. Dirty. Unlcean. Now you have infected your sister with your perversions._

Elsa tried to banish the guilt, to focus on the wonder of the moment. To her surprise she found more success than she was expecting, as Anna turned into the hug, a blissed out expression of pure contentment on her face and a soft happy murmur on her lips.

Elsa’s sleep was conflicted, but there was a definite flame of happiness present.

\-----------

Anna awoke with a heart filled with joy. There was nothing, literally nothing, in the world that could dampen her mood. Every inch of her tummy was stiff, and her sex still felt faintly sore, but she was happy for the proof that the night before had not simply been a wonderful dream. Making love to Elsa had been everything she had dreamed and more, although she felt a little bit bad for how much she had taken charge and simply taken what she wanted. Judging from the serene smile on her sister's face however, she had not minded one bit. 

Anna snuggled into Elsa’s frankly delicious breasts, earning a pleased sounding noise from the platinum blonde, although her nose did wrinkle slightly at the obvious after smell. They both needed a wash rather badly, but that could wait.

A perfect pair of blue eyes slowly lifted open. Anna could have drowned in those eyes forever.

“Hey you” Anna purred, glee making her words sound almost sticky.

“Hey.” Elsa whispered.

“What’s wrong?” Anna asked, still marveling at how wonderful it felt to be so close to her sister. She ran a single finger across Elsa’s cheeks, grinning like a fool.

Elsa took a slightly shaky breath, pulling Anna close. It was so tempting to lie. So, so tempting, and so much easier than the truth. She took another, much less steady breath, and tried not to cry.

“I… Mama knew that I was into other girls. Back… when I was younger.”

Anna stayed silent, stilling suddenly as she realised the gravity of Elsa’s sudden mood shift, just gently stroking a hand reassuringly across Elsa’s shoulder blades. She nodded silently, gazing up with adoration and support, well, what she hoped was adoration and support.

“She…” Elsa took a deep breath, already feeling the tears beginning to form. “She told me that… these feelings, these thoughts were wrong.” She hiccuped gently, her composure starting to crack.

“Mother spent a long time trying to make me really understand that… this… sort of thing was sinful. Unclean. She was worried that…”

Elsa fell silent, unable to look at Anna anymore. 

“Worried what? It’s ok Elsa, you can talk to me.”

Anna’s voice was soft, but determined, and she cupped a finger under Elsa’s chin, pulling her gaze up to meet. Elsa took a deep breath.

“She was worried that I would infect you with my sinfulness…”

Anna couldn’t help herself. She giggled slightly. It really was Elsa’s style to take the happiest morning of her life and find a way to beat herself up about it.

“Hmm, I don’t remember you being around me when I was six and I realised I wanted to be the handsome prince in the story because then I would get to kiss the princess. Or the time I realised I totally had a crush on Joan of Arc despite her just being a painting an all? No? I managed that all by my little self?”

Elsa frowned slightly.

“But I did infect you when you started sharing my dreams. I made you into a sinful creature like me. Would you have felt like this if I hadn’t kissed you?”

“I asked you to, remember? I wanted you to kiss me. I started it. Not you.”

Anna grinned lazily, wrapping herself into a close hug with Elsa, nuzzling into her neck, before continuing.

“You don’t seem to get it, ya great lug. I love you, and you’re stuck with me. You aren’t being sinful or unclean, or any of that other stuff, you are being Elsa, the woman I love.”

Elsa looked mildly unconvinced for a moment, and Anna continued, sensing her fears.

“Mama wasn’t always right, was she? I mean, what about your… _our_ magic? She was wrong about the best way to deal with that right? And she clearly didn't know anything about girls who love girls so I think she was wrong about that too.”

Elsa kissed the top of Anna’s head again, the soft contact sending a gentle tingle across her scalp. Her sister hummed for a moment, clearly thinking about something before speaking, her voice one of deep thought.

“You mentioned the Magician knew? About… us, your feelings for me at least. What did he think?”

Anna giggled gently, tracing meaningless patterns on Elsa’s lower back, sliding down ever slowly.

“He didn't even blink, honestly I think he knew already. He said two people loving each other was a natural and beautiful thing, no matter what was between their legs, and that I shouldn’t worry about it.”

That earned a relaxed chuckle as Elsa shivered under Anna’s ministrations.

“Oooh, you’re going to need to stop doing that Anna…”

“Or what? Or I’m going to get something nice? That’s not much of an incentive to stop.”

Anna’s hand slipped up Elsa’s tummy, tracing faint erotic nothing patterns on her stomach earning shivers and twitches from her over sensitive lover. It appeared as though Elsa’s lust was building in spite of their dishevelled condition, and Anna playfully nipped at her neck and breasts, earning throaty needful moans from her sister. Anna giggled and shrieked slightly as Elsa flipped her onto her back, her hands suddenly running across her body, sliding and squeezing with an urgent need.

The sensation of a questing set of fingers sliding between her legs was much, much more intense than Anna had been expecting, apparently having someone else do it for you was much nicer than doing it yourself. The dancing jagged bolts of pleasure running across her abdomen were exactly what she needed for breakfast.

Elsa’s eyes bored into her as she felt her climax building, her own clumsy explorations losing focus in the face of her sisters determined zeal. The build towards orgasm was now a sensation Anna faintly recognised, her breathing becoming uneven and her muscles rippling and twitching in pleasure as a determined pair of fingers slid in and out. The excited agony in her legs gave way to a sudden release of explosive pleasure and she found herself thrashing and bucking, her mind blank.

_Mmm… Ow. Ok, good, but ow._

Anna fished around lazily, wiggling gently into the sheets in the afterglow, trying to grip Elsa and pull her close. Grabbing a handful of soft flesh she flopped herself over, sliding a hand down to her sister's soft wetness, tweaking, teasing and playing as she slowly guided the gorgeous blonde to her own orgasm. Anna whispered quietly, careful not to break her flow.

“This is everything I could have ever wanted, thank you Elsa. I love you so, so much.” Anna pressed a kiss to her lips, before changing her voice to a more husky deep tone. “And now I want you to come for me.”

And Elsa did, aided by Anna’s soft urging. There was beauty in her form, her expression and the shake in her limbs, and Anna found herself wishing she were a sculptor or painter that she might capture this image of heaven. Elsa’s back arched, her breasts struck towards heaven as she lifted from the sheets slightly, feet and hands ruining the already damaged expensive bedsheets.

Anna grinned with pure happiness, this was a good morning, hopefully the first of many, but now she really did need real food. 

\-----------

If the palace staff had thought that they had seen the royal sisters walking on air before, then this morning was something of a revelation. They were light, chatty and so very, very happy. They also glowed slightly. It was faintly disconcerting to Kai to see, but there could be no doubt about it. It only appeared out of the corner of his eye, and only when he was not looking directly at them, but glow they did. Once Gerda gave him her report from the mornings turn down, something she had ensured they were completely alone for, he had managed something of an understanding of the situation. He sighed heavily, serving royalty was many things, but easy was never on the list. 

_I have no idea why Queen Elsa thought we wouldn’t find the bedsheets hidden in her closet, but, there you have it. It was luck that it was only Gerda who found them, sharp as a tack that woman._

Kai hummed to himself, writing up a shortlist for the most reliable servants in the castle, as well as those most prone to gossip. There were going to be more than a few changes in postings for the next few weeks it would appear.

\-----------

The royals had eventually made it down to breakfast, Elsa having had something of a panic when she realised that between them they had completely destroyed half of the bed. She stuffed the rather soiled and torn sheets inside her wardrobe for a lack of better options, before they headed down for their morning meal. No matter how much she could have been worrying, Elsa just couldn’t bring herself to care, not when every step she took reminded her of Anna’s exquisite expressions of ecstasy, not when every time she glanced over at her sister she exploded into sunlight and smiles.

Breakfast was cozy and pleasant, and Elsa found herself back to simply enjoying Anna’s presence, the overwhelming love she felt for the bouncy redhead tempered down into something a little more manageable. She still had a bad case of the giggles, and under her clothes one or two bruises that she was hoping to not have to explain to anyone, but she no longer felt the need to stare quite so much, nor the burning desire to rip all of Anna’s clothes off at the slightest opportunity. But there, overreaching it all, was how much she just enjoyed being around Anna, her trust, love, and need for her closeness and confidence had not diminished at all.

They finished breakfast, walking arm in arm out to meet the challenges of the day. Elsa made it down two whole corridors before she realised that she and Anna were alone.

There was a closet door.

Anna did look so very, very kissable this morning.

Really, she probably should have had more self restraint than this, but no matter how many times she told Anna that she loved her, no matter how many times she heard those wondrous words back, the ache in her heart would not subside. The only time she truly felt she was expressing the truth about her feelings, and her love, was when they were kissing.

Anna giggled as Elsa piled her into the closet, shutting the door behind them, and she swept her up into a deep kiss. They melted together and Elsa exalted in everything about her sister, her taste, her smell, the way she shivered and twitched with every touch she lavished upon her. This was her heaven, her mother be damned, and no matter how guilty she should be feeling the overwhelming sensation of Anna blew it all out of her mind.

Elsa moaned with powerful need, taking a great breath before diving back in, desperate to show Anna exactly how much she loved her. She found herself slipping a hand into her sister's bodice, caressing and squeezing her breast, her lover twitching and shaking at every press and tweak. Elsa was maddeningly engrossed in the wondrous sensation that was Anna, crowding out all of her other senses.

The door was well maintained, as befitted its position close to the heart of the castle, and so it made little noise when it was opened to allow the pair of maidstaff entrance, the trolley ready to unload its cargo to their storage place. There was a faint wet sounding noise, as Elsa removed herself from Anna’s face, their shared horrified expressions rising to meet the startled pair of young maids standing by the door. The now familiar sense of emotional whiplash greeted the experience as Elsa once again felt her emotional state starting to plunge through the floor.

And then she noticed the slightly shy smiles starting to creep up on the maidservants faces, the younger of the two hissing out a squealed statement, nudging her companion in the ribs.

“I knew it! I told you! I knew it!”

The older of the two flashed a brittle smile, before shutting the door. Elsa’s hands dropped along with her heart, her vision crowded with faint panic. Anna grabbed Elsa, immediately making soothing noises. From outside of the door the whispers of a hushed and hurried conversation drifted under the ancient portal whilst Elsa’s mind went into freewheel.

“Shh-shh! Look no, you can’t say anything. Are you mad?”

“But I’ve got half a mark down with the baker, you know I never win anything.”

“You’ll lose a lot more than half a mark if you don’t keep your mouth shut girl, and I’ll be the first in line.”

The closet door opened again, the two grinning and slightly embarrassed maids struggling to make eye contact with the royal lovers, but settling for a respectful curtsey. Elsa did her best to calm her panic over their discovery.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid. Reckless!_

Giving her best regal smile, Elsa tried to look imperious and commanding, but with her unmistakable air of benevolence that accompanied it.

“Ladies.” She began carefully, considering her options. “I don’t know what you think you saw…”

The maids shared a brief look, before the older one replied with a hasty squeak.

“Nothing, Majesty! We din’t see nothing at all.” 

The other girl nodded vigorously.

“No ma’am.”

Elsa nodded regally, squeezing Anna’s hand for reassurance, her outward mask covering the horror show of feeling she was currently experiencing. Anxiety, bordering on terror, and the mildest amount of guilt. Still, the reactions of the two maids were a long way from anything she could have predicted, indeed they seemed happy, or at least amused by the whole affair. Elsa forced herself to sound faintly menacing, or as best as she could manage with a croaky voice.

“I don’t need to speak about what might happen if unfounded rumours were to start spreading do I?”

The maids shook their heads in unison, exchanging their secret glance again.

“No majesty. Any secrets you might have are safe with us, don’t you worry.”

The younger of the two nodded enthusiastically.

“Aye. Nothing to worry about. I’m just so glad to see you happy Majesty, Princess. You are too good to us, a bit of happiness is the least you deserve.”

Elsa was somewhat perturbed by how jovial the two maids were, as they gave a final curtsey, pushed the trolley into place, and left them to the darkness of the cupboard, giggling all the way. Elsa waited in the dark for her heart beat to slow it’s hummingbird pace, Anna gently rubbing her back in reassuring circles.

“Shh, it’s ok Elsa. It’s going to be ok. I don’t think they are going to tell anyone.”

Elsa shook her head slowly, stray tears beginning to slide down her cheeks.

“I shouldn’t… I mean. I’m sorry Anna. I was reckless. I got us caught.”

Warm arms wrapped themselves around her, and she felt herself pulled into a hug.

“I know. It’s ok, I’m not mad.”

Elsa barked a short laugh.

“You should be.” she shivered. “I might just have ended us, all because I couldn’t help but kiss you.”

Anna’s next words stilled Elsa’s heart, helping to replace some of her fear with fierce love.

“It would be worth it.”

Soft ruby lips brushed her own, as she was pulled into a familiar intimate hug.

“I mean it Elsa. Whatever happens, we face it together.”

\-----------

Despite Elsa’s state of near total anxiety for the next few hours, indeed the next few days, nothing of any note developed. Adding to Elsa’s concern was the fact that the sheets from her bed had gone missing from her wardrobe, but as yet, no-one had commented. Amaranth returned home from the Royal Estates, along with Anna’s personal maid Helga, normal meetings and planning sessions were resumed, and preparation work for the royal ball all came along apace.

Elsa relaxed, slowly, hour by hour, inch by inch. Anna knew her distress and was giving her space at night, sleeping in her own room, although not without vigorous cuddles beforehand. Still, Elsa slept uneasily, images of torch wielding mobs parading through her mind, as well as derision and hate filled words.

Still, nothing had yet actually happened, and outside of some rotations to the palace staff, Elsa could find very little that had actually changed. Perhaps she was concerned over nothing. She hoped so, for she was starting to yearn for Anna’s touch rather badly, already addicted to the taste and touch of such forbidden fruit. She looked at her bed again, pondering what to do about the sheets this time. Some assistance might be in order.

\-----------

Princess Anna didn’t want to admit it but she was grumpy, and nothing she had tried in the last couple of days had come close to scratching her new itch. Idly playing with herself alone in her room had helped a bit, but never for long, as images of a blonde goddess rose again and again in her thoughts at the most inappropriate of times. The worst part of all was the lack of closeness, being able to join with Elsa, to feel one with her, was the greatest experience of Anna’s life, and she ached to get that close again. She wanted to bathe in Elsa’s love, to lose herself in the closeness, her soft overwhelming heartfelt adoration and joy.

She shivered with anticipation before mentally shaking herself off. She really needed someone to talk to about this, and there really was only one person to talk to.

Anna found the Magician, as usual, in his lab. Reading a book, whilst relaxing on a comfortable chair in the small terraced garden. He had a light ale in front of him and looked utterly content, smiling as Anna strolled casually towards him. She called from a reasonable distance, angling her approach towards a spare wicker chair set up next to the table, noting it was currently occupied by a snoozing ball of fur.

“Hey”

The Magician gently shut the book, arranging a thong of leather as a bookmark, before lifting his glass in salute.

“Your Highness. A pleasure as always. What can this humble servant do for you?”

Anna scooped the ball of fur out of the way, placing the soft little creature on a footstool, an amused chuckle escaping her lips at how relaxed and floppy it was, before sitting in the chair, leaning back into the soft cushioning.

“I need some advice.”

Anna’s words were slow and deliberate, and she earned a sage nod from her mentor.

“Ahh. Well, ask away, and remember, any topic you like. We are safe here.”

Anna wiggled into the chair slightly, subconsciously seeking the comfort of the cushions as a replacement for her own emotional discomfort. 

“I need to hide something big from the castle staff.”

This earned an amused chuckle from her mentor.

“Big as in a large object, or big as in a large secret.”

Anna’s heart was racing as she reflected on what she was considering doing. She had admitted the shape of her feelings towards Elsa some weeks before, and the Magician had simply smiled and poured her tea. Technically she wasn’t breaking her promise to her sister by talking to the Magician again, after all this wasn’t telling anyone “new” as such.

“Big as in a secret.”

The Magician chuckled, mirth very evident in his voice.

“Would this be in relation to your newfound magical strength your Highness?”

Anna pouted softly. She had noticed her magical powers were clearer, easier to call, in the last couple of days. She felt stronger than ever in truth, and for the first time she had an inkling on how Elsa had managed to go on her colossal magical tear, raising an ice palace and snowing under a kingdom. Anna knew that her powers were weaker than her sisters, in part simply due to their location, but in the last day or so she had had a subtle realisation that she could now achieve quite similar feats if pressed.

And only one thing had changed.

“Maybe.”

That earned a gentle laugh, as the Magician leaned forwards, grasping an earthenware jug on the table before him and refilling his glass, as well as one for Anna. Handing her the beverage he sat back, content in the shade.

“I think that every magically sensitive being in a ten mile radius probably felt you unlocking those powers three nights ago. You finally gave in to your heart and accepted your magic.”

Anna said nothing, her heart slowly subsiding from her mouth.

_Everything is ok. He hasn’t said anything bad yet. This is ok, just be calm._

“Maybe.”

Anna sipped at the ale, the crisp malty flavour a nice relief in the warm late morning. 

“Anna. If you want my help, you are going to need to talk to me.”

Anna took a large gulp, and steeled herself.

“What do we do?”

The magician was silent for a moment, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.

“Live, princess. Live and love. Although I strongly suggest you keep your… activities confined to your chambers for now.” He chuckled faintly as Anna blushed deeply and covered her face with her hands. “Your love may be unconventional, but there are allies within the castle. Your personal maids and seneschal for a start, they know you best and seem stalwartly loyal, as are almost all of the guard as far as I can tell.”

Anna realised she was holding her breath and forced herself to breathe normally. The Magician's voice was a soft burr as he continued, 

“Some bad things are coming, sacrifices will need to be made, and you will both need to be strong. I can’t tell you what they are, or even hint really, partly because I don’t know with any certainty, and partly because I am still under my Ban.” The Magician took a long draught of his ale, nestling back into his chair. “Trust those closest to you, and trust in our preparations, and we will see this through. In the meantime, try and live as best as possible.”

Anna nodded dumbly, her head spinning slightly at his advice. Was he seriously suggesting that Kai, Helga and Gerda all knew already? And that they did not find them reprehensible 

“You… You don’t mind? About Elsa and Me? That… we are in love?”

“Why would I mind? No man or woman can control who they love, and True Love cares even less. Besides, with your pedigree it’s hardly unexpected.”

He chuckled.

“Focus on your relationship for now, it’s young and fragile, for all that you have known each other a very long time you were separated longer. You need to ensure that what you have is healthy, stable, built on trust and love, and occasionally saying No if it is appropriate. I doubt that your sisters difficulties are going to vanish overnight, even if she claims they have, and she will need your love and support.”

Anna hummed in thought, staring deep into her glass. This conversation had been rather illuminating, not to mention emboldening.

_What the hell do we do with the sheets though?_

Anna almost choked realising that thought might have slipped out, glancing sideways at the magician whose face had gone slightly red, and he was stifling a snigger. No that was definitely heading into full blown guffaw territory. Now he was coughing.

 _Cough_ “Oh, sorry, highness. Ahem. Perhaps that is a question better passed on to Gerda or Helga. I have not explicitly spoken to them about your specific situation, I am completely confident in their discretion in this matter.”

Anna was red as a beet, trying desperately to calm her flapping breathing. Strangely, underneath the panic, she feld oddly liberated and wonderful, she had someone she could talk to at last, even if she had put her foot in her mouth once again. Anna found a laugh bubbling up from a well deep inside of her, half strangled relief and half expressed nervous excitement. It was a good morning she decided, and perhaps it was time to tell someone else. She and Elsa had a lot to talk about.


End file.
